Results 11,321-11,340 of 24,065 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Harkin for her question. The exact shape of the various provisions under the next CAP are still under negotiation. Until all of those are complete there is not final certainty with regard to the exact level of convergence that will be applied, or the proportion of the direct payments ceiling allocated to eco-schemes. The general approach agreed by Council last November...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: My position at the Council of Ministers has been to maintain a 20% minimum threshold in terms of the eco-schemes. The Parliament is pushing for 30%. It is important that we try to ensure we maintain the basic payment scheme farmers get to support them to produce top quality, healthy and safe food, and also to do that in a way that is consistent with good environmental practice. Within the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Funding (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Harkin. That piece of research was to establish what the value of the entitlement would be. That is what the figures that were set out showed. The value of the entitlement is going to exclude the eco-scheme payment, which will be extracted from the entitlement value in the first place. That is what the research showed. I agree with Deputy Harkin that it all must be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I secured an additional €79 million, including €23 million from the carbon tax fund, in budget 2021 to support actions in the area of biodiversity, climate, environment and farm health and safety, while also supporting farm incomes. Part of this is the results-based environment agri pilot, REAP. While it is small, it is innovative, ambitious and farmer friendly. It is a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Overall, there is €79 million for new agri-environmental measures this year. Out of that, €23 million is from the carbon tax fund. There is a key programme for Government commitment to introduce a new flagship agri-environmental scheme in the next CAP which will start in January 2023. In funding that scheme, there will be €1.5 billion from the carbon tax between now...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In terms of our rural development programme and our measures within that, we have to engage with the European Commission in terms of getting approval for schemes that are part of that. State aid, which is important with this, comes within the rural development programme. That is why I am engaging with Europe and seeking permission to be able to accommodate additional farmers within the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Smith for her comments. As I said, meat plants are a high-risk environment because of the nature of the work and, in particular, in the boning halls with the recirculation of air and the fact the air has to stay chilled, which is something we have seen both nationally and internationally over the past period of time throughout the pandemic. That is why we have taken a very...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: There has been no tiptoeing whatsoever. Politically, that is what the Deputy and those on the left like to portray. The reality is very different. There has been a recognition at all times of the particular challenges in meat factories. As the Deputy is aware, as with all activity in the food sector, it was designated as essential work and an essential service throughout the pandemic....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for his question. It is important to clarify that there is no legal definition of a feedlot herd. The Department defines certain herds as controlled finishing units, CFUs, in the context of the bovine TB eradication programme. This definition is unique to that programme and does not necessarily mirror the use of the term "feedlot" by the public and-or other institutions....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: More than that, I will ensure there is a national office set up not just to assess issues such as this but also to ensure transparency right across the food supply chain. I campaigned for this in opposition and ensured it went into the programme for Government. I am now working to deliver as a Minister in the Government. Central to my mission as Minister is doing all I can to support,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The idea behind setting up the national food ombudsman office or regulator is to ensure there will be an office in place to assess issues such as this and to ensure all activity in the market and activities that have an impact on the market will be fully delved into and have a light shone on them so we can have the necessary transparency. I am interested in hearing the Deputy’s...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Pandemic (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Bríd Smith. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department, in addition to carrying out its statutory role in meat plants regarding food safety, animal health and animal welfare, is providing to the HSE and Health and Safety Authority, HSA, any support required at local and national levels. The Department continues to work closely with the relevant health...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Programme for Government commits to rewarding farmers for adapting to more sustainable methods of farming and to the development of a new agri-environment scheme capable of delivering broad environmental and biodiversity benefits that will align financial supports with climate objectives. To advance this aim, the Results-Based Environmental Agri Pilot (REAP) opened for applications on...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Inshore Fisheries (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I acknowledge that it has been a difficult year for the inshore fishing sectors. Seafood enterprises with a 30% reduction in turnover because of Covid-19 have been eligible to apply to Revenue under the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, an economy-wide enterprise support that focuses primarily on business eligibility. The scheme provides a flat-rate subsidy to qualifying employers based on...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fur Farming (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Programme for Government contains a commitment on the prohibition of fur farming and Department officials have been working on appropriate steps to give effect to this. The Department is finalising the Heads of a Bill to provide for the introduction of a ban on fur farming which will include a prohibition on mink farming. The Bill will make it illegal for any new fur farms to be...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Renewable Energy Generation (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: It is important that I point out that planning or consenting offshore renewable energy projects does not come under my remit. All maritime spatial planning matters, including for offshore renewable energy projects, come under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I understand that the Minister intends to publish the Maritime Area Planning Bill...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: It is important to clarify that there is no legal definition of a feedlot herd. The Deputy may be referring to Controlled Finishing Units. The Department defines certain herds as Controlled Finishing Units (CFUs) in the context of the Bovine TB Eradication Programme. This definition is unique to that programme and does not necessarily mirror the use of the term "feedlot" by the public...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I am very aware of the current dependence of the horticultural industry on the availability of peat moss. Following on from the publication of a report on the review of the use of peat moss in the horticulture industry by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Minister Noonan set up a working group to consider impacts on the sector. It is anticipated that this working group...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Forestry and related issues, particularly the resolution of licensing issues, are a major priority for the Department and I fully recognise its importance to farmers, forest owners, forestry contractors, sawmills and wood processors and to the rural economy as a whole. In order to fully deliver on the potential of the sector, we need a well-functioning licensing system. I am the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Results Based Environment Agri Pilot (REAP) is an ambitious environmental project designed to test the results based approach on a variety of farm types. The project will feed into the development of the next national agri-environment scheme to follow on from GLAS. REAP is designed to focus on key learning objectives for participants and their advisors. The REAP scorecard based...