Results 8,821-8,840 of 23,950 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Second Stage (9 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Senators for their contributions. One of the key things that came through in two or three of the contributions was the issue of beyond reasonable doubt. I will touch on that matter first. The standard of proof used in the determination of an appeals officer is the balance of probability. It is a matter that has been raised throughout the progress of this Bill. It has not only...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Legislative Measures (9 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 that is currently going through the legislative process, will provide for the statutory prohibition of fur farming. It is acknowledged that the prohibition will impact on farm businesses that are currently operating business in accordance with the law. For this reason, the legislation will make provision for a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Sales (9 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Department officials are not aware of the Animal Identification and Movement System (AIM) being unavailable at Ballybay mart or impacted by any technical difficulties in 2021. Marts are required to notify movements of animals via web service to AIM. Occasionally, movement notifications are stored “offline” if the AIM webservice is temporarily unavailable. Any...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (9 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: There is no rule limiting the number of movements of cattle for beef production. Such specifications are entirely a commercial matter and are not conditions imposed by my Department. In-spec bonus payments are made in respect of cattle which meet certain market specifications demanded by trade customers. The four movement specification to which you refer is an example of this.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (9 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The COFORD Council is a stakeholder platform to advise my Department on issues related to the development of the forest sector in Ireland. The existing Council sets its own priorities and has a number of working groups which provide advice on a wide range of areas including climate change, forest genetics resources, ecosystem services and timber forecasting. The COFORD Wood Mobilisation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (9 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department owns, manages and maintains the six State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl. Charges for the use of the facilities at each of the six Fishery Harbour Centres are set out in secondary legislation by means of the Fishery Harbour Centres (Rates and Charges) Order 2012 (S.I. No. 214 of 2012)...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (9 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am acutely aware of the increases in the costs of doing business over the past year, for fishers, farmers and indeed across all sectors of our economy and society. The Deputy will be aware that the Government is currently carrying out a widespread review to consider what steps it can take in the short term to alleviate some of the inflationary pressure which households and businesses are...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I inform the Deputy that the Agriculture Appeals Office operates independently of my Department. I have been informed that an appeal was received by the Agriculture Appeals Office from the person named in October 2021. Following receipt of the appeal, the Agriculture Appeals Office wrote to the person named to request further documentation in order to progress the appeal. Once the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I inform the Deputy that the Agriculture Appeals Office operates independently of my Department. The Office has responsibility for agriculture appeals and also provides administrative and secretariat support to the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) which was established in February 2018. In addition to their agriculture appeal functions, Appeals Officers are also appointed as members of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Forest road applications are received and decided daily. Applications received from Coillte are treated the same as applications from private individuals. For week ending 21stJanuary, my Department issued 29 forest road licences, 19 of these were from Coillte and the remaining 10 were private applicants. However, the following week ending 28thJanuary, 11 road licences were issued to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 811 and 812 together. My Department does not comment on matters relating to individual staff members.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Young forest crops at establishment phase are generally the most vulnerable to significant frost damage. My Department has recently launched a Reconstitution of Woodland scheme to address frost damage in recently planted forest crops and is currently receiving applications. We will continue to engage with stakeholders on its operation.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Results Based Environment Agri Pilot Programme (REAP) is designed to trial the results-based approach on a national basis and to test the upscaling potential of the model for inclusion in the next national agri-environment scheme to follow GLAS. REAP incentivises farmers to maintain and improve the environmental condition of their land. At applications stage, farmers could bring in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 815 and 816 together. While overall forestry licensing improved significantly last year, afforestation has not improved as we would like with just over 4,200ha approved last year. Improving afforestation licensing is a key priority for 2022. A detailed licensing plan for 2022 was published last week which has as its main target the issuing of 5,250 licences...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 817 and 818 together. To the end of last year, 3,601 tree felling licence applications were received, split between 2,299 Coillte and 1,309 private applications (64%/36% respectively). The greater number of applications received are from Coillte, which is responsible for much of the mature national forest estate and supplies 75% of logs to sawmills. The tree...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy may be aware, Project Woodland was established in February 2021 to ensure that the current licensing backlog is addressed and that a new impetus is brought to woodland creation in Ireland. Through the Project Woodland process, my Department is proceeding to pay for an ecology report submitted with an afforestation application, when paying for the establishment of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Since the first finding of ash dieback disease in Ireland, the Department has provided support to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme and more recently the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme introduced in July 2020. Premium payments are made from the time of establishment of the plantation up to the time the crop became...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department will make direct contact with the named individual to seek further information in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Fisheries Policy (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 822 to 825, inclusive, 829 and 830 together. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Regulation (Regulation EU 380/2013) provides that the European Commission will report to the European Parliament and the Council on the functioning of the CFP by the end of 2022. On 17 December 2021, the European Commission launched an online questionnaire as part of its...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (8 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Afforestation licences have a three-year validity and therefore the 4,200 ha's licensed last year can be planted within that timeframe. I would obviously encourage any landowner to do so immediately and enjoy the significant economic benefits of doing so. Improved licensing output has a role to play in building confidence among farmers and landowners, and in increasing demand for licences...