Results 1,061-1,080 of 4,109 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: There are 216 herd owners in Longford awaiting ACRES payments. Two of these herd owners are part of the ACRES Co-operation stream and 214 are in the ACRES General stream. My Department continues to work to expedite payments. I can confirm that an ACRES payment run is scheduled to issue this week and further pay runs, to participants in both Tranches, will continue on a regular basis as...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Legislative Process (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024 was initiated in Dáil Éireann on 4 July 2024 and was enacted on 29 October 2024 as the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Act 2024 (No. 38 of 2024). Sections 3-15 of the 2024 Act amend various provisions of the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001, and s. 16 of the 2024 Act amends s. 24 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997. All sixteen...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Sector Pay (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Secretary General of my Department is remunerated on a salary scale set up in January 2012 on instruction from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform with the description ‘Secretary General Level II appointed on/after 1/6/11’. This scale has not changed in the last year other than in line with public sector pay agreements. I am not aware of any...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: I can confirm that there is a total of 619 ACRES contracts failing to clear pre-payment validations due to scorecard related issues. Each case must clear all validations before payment can issue. These validations will continue to be carried out, and my Department is working to resolve these issues so as to expedite payments. Further pay runs, to participants in both Tranches, will...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: Following the recent storms, Storm Darragh and Storm Éowyn, my Department has accelerated the process for issuing a felling licence and to prioritise those licences needed to deal with fallen trees. All relevant stakeholders and affected applicants will receive guidance in relation to this shortly. In addition, a Forest Windblow Taskforce comprising stakeholders representing forest...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The table at the following link details the expenditure on IT External Contracting Services for 2023, 2024 & from 1/1/2025 up to and including 5/2/25. ">Expenditure relating to IT external service 2023-2025

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: In recent years, simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy has been a key focus for my Department. It is well accepted that the conditionality and regulation associated with farming has become increasingly complex. I will continue to be an advocate for simplification, including in my role representing Ireland at monthly meetings of the AgriFish Council. I want to ensure that the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: I am committed to supporting the whole of government approach to progressing policy issues relating to the EU Climate and Energy Framework, the EU Green Deal including Farm to Fork and its long-term vision for a climate neutral economy by 2050. This includes the Nature Restoration Law which aims to restore degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to the achievement of the EU’s...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: Ireland is committed to achieving climate neutrality no later than 2050 with a 51% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. These legally binding objectives are set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. The Climate Act supports Ireland’s transition to net-zero and the achievement of a climate neutral economy no later than 2050. It also establishes a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The government has on an ongoing basis developed policy and implemented schemes through both National and European funding that provides for carbon sequestration at farm level including through hedgerow maintenance and soil management. The current CAP strategic Plan provides the overarching mechanism for supporting farmers in the maintenance of hedgerows and grassland. This includes the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Climate Action Plan provides a roadmap to meet our national climate objective of a climate resilient, biodiversity rich, environmentally sustainable and climate neutral economy by 2050. It aligns with the legally binding economy-wide carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings that were agreed by Government in July 2022. The Climate Action Plan (2024) includes a variety of actions...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Prices (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: On 13 December 2023 my Department established An Rialálaí Agraibhia (The Agri-Food Regulator), an independent statutory body under the aegis of my Department. While the Regulator has no function to examine price setting between suppliers and buyers, the role of the Regulator is to promote fairness and transparency in the agricultural and food supply chain, and to have regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Prices (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: I am supportive of initiatives that strengthen the position of farmers in the supply chain. There are ongoing discussions at EU level on proposed amendments to the CMO and UTP Regulations. At the most recent Agri Council meeting in Brussels, I supported Commissioner Hansen’s initiatives to further strengthen farmers’ position in the food supply chain, including by...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Change Policy (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The agri-food sector is Ireland's largest indigenous exporting sector. Ireland itself is among the most food secure countries in the world and ranks second of 113 countries assessed for food security, according to the latest Global Food Security Index. We also export produce to over 180 countries worldwide. The value of agri-food exports in 2024 is estimated to be €19 billion - an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Security (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: Ireland is among the most food secure countries in the world and ranks second of 113 countries assessed for food security, according to the latest available Global Food Security Index. The resilience of the Irish food supply chain was clearly demonstrated in recent years when dealing with the effects of Brexit, international lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic and various supply chain...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department monitors information on farms and the wider agri-food sector, in collaboration with Teagasc and the Central Statistics Office (CSO), on an ongoing basis. Family farms have shown great resilience in recent years. Incomes have consistently increased over the last five years, with the exception of 2023 which was a challenging year. The current situation is much improved with...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Government provides significant supports for young farmers. The challenge of generational renewal is recognised both nationally and at EU level and this is reflected in the various supports that are available under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and through national measures. Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan includes supports such as the Complementary Income Support for Young...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The European Single Market is based on the concept of a single set of rules applying to the production of food, so that food placed on the European Market, be that within a Member State, traded between Member States, imported into the European Union, or exported from the European Union, meets EU requirements to protect food safety, animal and plant health, and animal welfare standards, within...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Agreements (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The EU has, in recent years, been involved in several FTA negotiations which, in some cases have concluded (such as the EU-New Zealand, EU-Japan, EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and EU-Republic of Korea agreements) and in other cases remain ongoing (such as the EU-Mercosur, EU-Chile and EU-Mexico agreements). In general, trade agreements are positive in their outcome...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ministerial Responsibilities (11 Feb 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Ministers of State appointed to my Department and their areas of responsibility are as follows:Mr. Noel Grealish, T.D. : Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research and Development – Minister Grealish will attend Cabinet;Mr. Michael Healy-Rae, T.D. : Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Forestry, Horticulture and Farm...