Results 941-960 of 24,015 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I firstly wish to reiterate my strong condemnation of any cruelty or mistreatment of animals and to reinforce that my Department takes matters of equine welfare and the integrity of the food chain very seriously. I can confirm that my Department, in conjunction with the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, is carrying out coordinated investigations into these matters. While it is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Export Controls (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: There is currently no restriction in place on trade with Libya. The trade in and the export of animals is a private commercial activity, but it is heavily regulated by European and Irish national law which my Department enforces. All live export consignments from Ireland are conducted in full compliance with legislative requirements. The consignments referred to in your correspondence of 15th...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disease Management (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is responsible for overseeing the control and the prevention of the spread of certain weeds under the Noxious Weeds Act, 1936. The following weeds are currently listed in the Noxious Weeds Act: Ragwort, Thistle, Dock, Common barberry, Male wild hop and Wild oat. Under the Act, it is an offence not to prevent the spread of these weeds....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988, and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The matter raised is an internal operational matter for Coillte. I have referred the matter to Coillte for direct follow-up with the Deputy. For the Deputy's information, I would like to mention that Coillte does not receive...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disease Management (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1661 and 1662 together. My Department has introduced a comprehensive Action Plan on Ash Dieback which provides comprehensive supports to landowners who planted ash plantations under a grant-aided scheme overseen by my Department. While I am aware all landowners with ash trees are impacted by ash dieback, my Department does not have responsibility for the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is committed to ensuring that a skilled and motivated workforce is in place to meet its priority business needs. Workforce planning processes are utilised to identify our requirements across all our grade streams and locations, aiming to ensure a long-term, proactive and strategic plan by which current and future staffing needs are addressed. Overall staffing levels and required...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: In April my officials, along with officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, held a bilateral meeting with the Commission Services to discuss Ireland's Nitrates Derogation, the interim review of the Nitrates Action Programme and the work that is currently taking place across Ireland's agri-food industry to reduce agriculture’s impact on water quality. In...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Flood Relief Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: On 17 July I announced the opening of the Cooley Flood Damage Relief Measure. This measure is to provide support to those farmers whose lands were damaged as a result of flooding in October - November 2023. Preliminary survey work identified the area damaged from the land slide and flooding, the result of which saw large deposits of rocks, gravel and debris on agricultural lands in addition...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Bodies (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy may be aware, the Agriculture Appeals Amendment Bill provides that: “The Chairperson of the Review Panel and ordinary members of the Panel shall be appointed by the Minister....” The Bill makes provision for the appointment of five ordinary members, in addition to the Chairperson. Both the Director and the Deputy Director of the Agriculture Appeals Office are also...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is an environmentally ambitious agri-environment climate measure which forms part of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. The Scheme has been designed to deliver significant long-term environmental improvements through participation by a significant number of farmers on the most appropriate land, with each making a strong...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Environmental Investigations (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As the deputy is aware, my Department is the Competent Authority in Ireland with responsibility for the authorisation of plant protection products and for the implementation of official controls relating to the placing on the market and use of these products. There are several products, containing the active substances carfentrazone-ethyl or pyraflufen-ethyl which are currently authorised in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Flood Relief Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The unpredictable nature of extreme weather/flooding events and the resulting impact on agriculture does not lend its self to a ready made scheme template for unforeseen events such as flooding. My department in recent years has provided a number of schemes in support of extreme weather/flooding. These include the Shass Landslide, The Shannon Callows, The Unharvested Crop Loss Support, The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I firstly wish to reiterate my strong condemnation of any cruelty or mistreatment of animals and to reinforce that my Department takes matters of equine welfare and the integrity of the food chain very seriously. I can assure the Deputy that the equine welfare matters referred to will form part of the ongoing and active animal welfare investigation by my Department, in conjunction with the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The purpose of the water setback condition is to create a buffer of natural ground vegetation positioned between defined water features and the subsequent forest crop that will emerge after replanting takes place. The aim is to protect water quality and aquatic ecosystems from possible sediment and nutrient runoff from the site during various operations throughout the forest rotation,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I can confirm that my Department, in conjunction with the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation is carrying out animal welfare and traceability investigations into activities associated with the facility referred to and its surrounds. I can also confirm that the approval of the plant was revoked on the grounds of animal welfare, food safety and traceability.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Animal welfare is a key priority for me as Minister and for the Government. Each year, I provide considerable funding to support animal welfare charity organisations. All animal welfare organisations in receipt of this funding through my Department’s Animal Welfare Grants Programme receive an annual veterinary inspection by veterinary staff from my Department. Applicants must also...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Legislative Measures (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1674 to 1677, inclusive, and 1680 to 1682, inclusive, together. I am currently drafting regulations on veterinary medicinal products - these will provide for:the rules pertaining to prescribing of prescription only medicines, including antiparasitics,the operation of the national database - the National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS)the possession,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Special Areas of Conservation (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: It is acknowledged in the Guide to Land Eligibility published by the Direct Payments Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that the karst limestone landscape in the Burren and Aran regions requires specific criteria to cater for the very unique landscape that exists in these regions. At present where a parcel outside of the Burren and Aran regions has more than 70%...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The difficult weather in early 2024 has resulted in extremely low fodder supplies in the country, including straw. As a consequence of this I recently proposed a deferral of the 2024 Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) and indicated that I would engage with the Farmers' Charter on the matter. I made this proposal balancing the need to ensure adequate supplies of straw are available for the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (23 Jul 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a challenging disease to control and eradicate. I am committed to making real progress in controlling TB as I am aware of the financial and emotional trauma associated with a TB breakdown for farmers. Nationally as of 14th July 2024, on a 12-month rolling basis, herd incidence increased to 5.29% compared to 4.60% at the same time last year. In the past 12 months...