Results 9,521-9,540 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (9 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, was established under the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act, 1988. Its establishment day was 5 September 1988. Its principal function, set out in Section 4 of the Act, is to provide research, training and advisory services for the agri-food sector. As provided for in the Act Teagasc is governed by an eleven member...

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: I am aware of this issue, which dates back to 2004. A report by the European Environment Agency claimed that 84% of planting since 1990 had taken place on peats. That figure was based on satellite imagery and did not correspond in any way to the information available to my Department at the time, which showed that the actual level of afforestation on peats was between 26% and 43.5%, since...

Written Answers — Use of Pesticides: Use of Pesticides (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The EU Commission has proposed a Thematic Strategy for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides. The Strategy includes a number of initiatives to reduce the impact of sprays. The Commission has also proposed a framework Directive on the sustainable use of pesticides. The aim of this proposal is to reduce the risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment. The current...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The first case of foot-and-mouth disease in the present outbreak in Britain was confirmed on 3rd August in Surrey. Since then a total of eight cases have been confirmed in two separate clusters. The first cluster involved two cases around the village of Normandy and the second involved six cases to date centred on the village of Egham. To date the outbreak has remained confined to Surrey....

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: My Department and I have been particularly proactive in taking measures designed to minimise the risk of the introduction to Ireland of either Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) or Bluetongue and I am satisfied that the measures in place are appropriate given the current level of risk of an outbreak of either disease in this country. With regard to the threat of FMD, I introduced an immediate ban...

Written Answers — Suckler Cow Quota: Suckler Cow Quota (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The suckler herd plays a major role in the social and economic well-being of rural areas and in particular areas of natural disadvantage. There is a need to improve animal welfare standards and generally to improve the quality of the national beef herd. With this in mind, I announced an Animal Welfare and Recording Scheme for Suckler Herds aimed at encouraging suckler farmers to adopt certain...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The Farm Improvement Scheme was introduced by my Department last July and provides grant-aid for, inter alia, animal housing, slurry storage facilities and investments in relation to dairy hygiene. Under the Scheme, grant-aid is available up to a maximum eligible investment ceiling of €120,000 with a separate ceiling of €120,000 being applicable in the case of dairy hygiene measures....

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Within my Department there is a wide range of veterinary, technical, scientific and administrative expertise which is relied upon on a daily basis in the development of contingency and operational plans designed either to minimise the risk of the introduction of various animal diseases to Ireland or to contain, control and eradicate any threatened or confirmed disease outbreak. In addition,...

Written Answers — Organic Farming: Organic Farming (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The Programme for Government has set a target of increasing the amount of agricultural land area under organic production from its current rate of less than 1% to 5% by 2012. Even though this is a challenging target I believe it is attainable, and my Department offers substantial incentives to promote the growth of the sector. The new Organic Farming Scheme, introduced under the Rural...

Written Answers — Consumer Protection: Consumer Protection (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: A range of factors including increased competition from biofuels, increased consumption in Asia and production difficulties due to weather problems in some key production zones are driving up international prices for cereals in particular and also other products. Ireland and the EU are not immune to such international trends. Some recent projections suggest that these price increases will...

Written Answers — Pigmeat Sector: Pigmeat Sector (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: My Department is engaged in a wide range of activities that are vital to the development of the pig industry. These include national animal health programmes, monitoring of food safety compliance at production premises, the certification of meat for the various markets and improving access to new markets. Pigmeat features prominently in Bord Bia's programme of promotion on home and export...

Written Answers — Dairy Industry: Dairy Industry (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: I am informed by the National Milk Agency, which has statutory responsibility to regulate the supply of milk for liquid consumption within the State, that the Agency has registered 1,756 contracts for the milk year 2007/2008 compared with 1,511 for the equivalent period in 2006/2007. Moreover, in the winter months of October 2006 to February 2007, when milk is least available, supplies of...

Written Answers — Bovine Diseases: Bovine Diseases (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 137 together. The BSE testing requirements are provided for in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 (the TSE Regulation). The Regulation currently requires that all bovines over 30 months, slaughtered for human consumption, must be tested for BSE. In addition, Member States are required to test all casualty animals over 24 months sent for slaughter and all...

Written Answers — Genetically Modified Organisms: Genetically Modified Organisms (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The EU Commission proposal to authorise the genetically modified event, referred to by the Deputy, for marketing as food and feed within the EU was considered at the meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers last week. The Council recorded a no opinion on the proposal and the Commission is now expected to move to approve the product in the near future in accordance with regulatory...

Written Answers — Sustainable Energy: Sustainable Energy (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Wood energy has a key role to play in achieving the Government targets for renewable energy as set out in the White Paper, 'Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland'. My Department actively encourages the development of the wood-energy sector through a range of support measures. A new capital grant scheme to support emerging enterprises in the wood chip supply sector was launched...

Written Answers — Suckler Cow Quota: Suckler Cow Quota (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The proposals for an Animal Welfare, Recording and Breeding Scheme for Suckler Herds were originally submitted to the European Commission in December 2006 as part of the Draft Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP). Following consultations with the Commission services on the details of this scheme, certain modifications were made and a revised application for state aid approval was...

Written Answers — Farm Incomes: Farm Incomes (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Adverse weather in the period leading up to harvest time did give rise to concern that there might be a very poor cereals harvest, both in terms of quantity and quality. However, the weather improved just in time and consequently output is not expected to be very far short of the long-term average of 2 million tones. Similarly in the horticulture sector, the poor weather conditions caused...

Written Answers — Farm Prices: Farm Prices (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The market situation for lamb is quite good at present with prices ahead of last year's at this stage. Supplies too have improved in recent weeks following the Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK and the outlook for the remainder of the year is positive. Bord Bia actively promotes lamb as a quality product and thereby supports all those involved in the marketing chain, including producersI...

Written Answers — Farm Structures Survey: Farm Structures Survey (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Last month the CSO published its Farm Structures Survey results for 2003 and 2005. The report shows that over that period farm numbers declined at a rate of approximately 1% per annum to 132,700 farms in 2005, which is slightly lower that the overall rate of decline since 1991. The reduction in farm numbers is part of an on-going trend, which is common throughout Europe, and indeed the rate...

Written Answers — Departmental Offices: Departmental Offices (3 Oct 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The Taoiseach announced on the 15 June 2007 that Sea Fisheries would transfer to my Department. The Government has now agreed the specific details for the transfer of those functions and the necessary Order to give effect to this will be made shortly by the Government.