Results 11,441-11,460 of 24,065 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement creates a new framework for the EU-UK relationship. It ensures quota-free and tariff-free trade between the EU and the UK. This is of significant importance to the Irish agri-food and fisheries sectors. I would like to have seen a more comprehensive EU-UK Agreement that included an SPS agreement (commonly referred to as a Veterinary Agreement)...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 192 together. The GLAS terms and conditions clearly indicate that afforestation is fully compatible with GLAS and is recognised as contributing to the creation of a valuable landscape mosaic at farm-level. It is also important to note that GLAS is not a whole-farm scheme and that opportunities continue to exist for afforestation and for other...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (19 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, a pilot project, the Results-Based Environmental Agri Pilot (REAP) opened for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 194, 195, 200 and 201 together. As the Deputy will be aware, the current Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end 2022) is entirely exchequer funded and received State aid approval from the European Commission. Due to the long-term nature of forestry, it is considered the best option to continue to deliver the forestry programme entirely separately from...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The target for forestry licences remains at 4,500 new licences and we are committed to delivering this. Progress has been made with licences overall up 11% up on last year so far this year but this needs to be improved and sustained. To achieve an increase in licences of this size requires a number of factors from both the Department and from applicants. Along with Minister of State...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 197 to 199, inclusive, and 203 together. It is important to note that all forestry licences are voluntary and that the area licensed, be it for afforestation or tree felling or for that matter any other forestry scheme, may not be fully utilised. The licensee may decide to afforest or to fell a smaller area, or indeed, not carry out the licensed operation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Forestry is one of the many land use options available to farmers throughout the country and Department officials are currently examining proposals that would allow the integration of some elements of afforestation into organic farming. Agroforestry has the potential to deliver multiple benefits for productive, resilient and environmentally integrated farm systems. It can enhance farm...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 to 210, inclusive, together. New interim ‘Standards for Felling and Reforestation’ were circulated in October 2019. These Standards immediately replaced measures relating to felling set out in the existing standards ‘Forest Harvesting & the Environment Guidelines (2000)’. The ‘Standards for Felling and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Labelling (19 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is responsible for enforcing EU marketing standards legislation on fruit and vegetables traded in Ireland which helps to ensure that produce on display is labelled properly and in such a way as not to mislead the consumer. There is no obligation on individual producers or traders of fruit and vegetables to individually label pieces of fruit and vegetables in this regard. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Aquaculture Industry (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department considers all applications for aquaculture licences in accordance with the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the 1933 Foreshore Act and applicable National and EU legislation. The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisors as well as various Statutory Consultees. The legislation also provides for a period of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Programme for Government (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In 2019, under the EPA Research Funded Projects (2014-2020), the Biomass Retrieval in Ireland using Active Remote (BRIAR) sensing project, produced by Teagasc, estimated that Ireland has national estimate for hedgerow length in Ireland of 689,000km. In line with the commitment in Programme for Government, actions by the Department include the forthcoming pilot Farm...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In June 2018, the European Commission put forward the proposed legislation for the new CAP. The Commission made these proposals to the European Parliament and to the Council of Ministers, who, in October 2020, adopted their respective positions on the proposals. The Council General Approach provides for a number of options for redistribution, giving Member States the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Since my meeting with the Environmental Pillar in March, the Pillar was invited and participated in Ireland’s National Dialogues for the United Nations Food Systems Summit, convened by my Department. The Environmental Pillar's contribution to the first of these, on “Sustainable Food Systems and Ireland’s 2030 Agri-Food Strategy”, was very useful and is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Felling licence output to date this year is up on the same period last year across all metrics. Six hundered and fifteen new felling licences issued between January and April this year compared to 595 for the same period in 2020 which is an increase of 3% on the total number issued in the same period in 2020.  More importantly, the area covered by the licences issued in January to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Habitats Directive and the transposing legislation SI 477 of 2011 require, inter alia, that an appropriate assessment is undertaken where screening identifies a likelihood of the project having a significant effect on a European site(s). This is true regardless of the separation distance between the project and the European site(s). A likely zone of impact is used in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I am fully aware of the issues facing the forestry sector and the timber industry and no efforts have been made to address them. The Department has invested heavily in both ecologist and forestry Inspector resources to meet the needs of the licencing system and this has resulted in gains in licensing output. To 7th May 2021 1,085 new forestry licences have issued this year,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grant Payments (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The person named was approved into GLAS 1 and has received payments for scheme years 2015 – 2020. The person named was selected for an on-farm inspection in 2018 and subsequently requested a review of the inspection findings. Following a re-inspection in 2019, the person named is due outstanding payments in respect of the Low Input Permanent Pasture action. Processing of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Over 470 felling licences have been issued so far in 2021 for both public and private forest owners. In all cases, the Department assesses the information that is available to them on a case-by-case basis to decide if this information is sufficient to either issue the licence or seek further information. In the case of harvest or replanting plans, these are not a legal...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) was to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. BEAM was funded by a combination of EU exceptional aid and Exchequer support. One of the conditions under which the €50 million was...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grant Payments (18 May 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The person named person an application under the 2020 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) on 6th April 2020. A number of parcels were declared as eligible by the person named in their application.  In order to be eligible for payment under BPS, applicants must hold entitlements and have eligible land to accompany each entitlement. There are a...