Results 11,561-11,580 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme Payments (1 Dec 2016)

Michael Creed: There are no cases under the Basic Payment Scheme that are awaiting processing due to the implementation of the new yellow card rules. Payment under Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme commenced on the third week of September as agreed under the Farmers Charter.  To date over 87,000 beneficiaries have received in excess of €188m with payments continuing to issue as further...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Development Programme Funding (1 Dec 2016)

Michael Creed: The contract for an ex-ante assessment for the use of Financial Instruments (FIs) within Ireland’s European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Operational Programmes was awarded to Indecon on 31 August, 2016. The Assessment is well underway and the final ex-ante assessment Report will be completed by end December, 2016....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Milk Supply Data (1 Dec 2016)

Michael Creed: The following table outlines the breakdown by County of applications for the Voluntary Supply Management Scheme or VSMS. These figures include applicants in both Phase I and II of the scheme. The scheme is now closed as the allocated budget is now fully committed. This scheme is one of a range of measures adopted at EU level to mitigate market volatility in the Dairy sector.  County...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Wise 2025 Strategy (1 Dec 2016)

Michael Creed: Food Wise 2025, the new ten year strategy for the agri-food sector, was published in July last year. It identifies the opportunities and challenges facing the sector and provides an enabling strategy that will allow the sector to grow and prosper. Food Wise includes more than 400 specific recommendations, spread across the cross-cutting themes of sustainability, innovation, human capital,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tribunals of Inquiry Expenditure (1 Dec 2016)

Michael Creed: The Legal Fees paid by my Department in respect of tribunals, broken down by Tribunal and by year 2006 to 2016: Tribunal Year Amount Paid Beef Tribunal 2006 €147,403.62 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010 €15,500 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 to date -

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: The point I want to make is that, in the context of the negotiations I had at the tillage stakeholders meeting, there was a range of asks, including some relating to the matters the Deputy raised. However, there is a limit to the resources available and it was felt that it was best to do something strategic. At the meeting in question, for example, a figure quoted by one of the participants...

Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: The Climate Change Advisory Council has stated in its report that the national mitigation plan should provide a roadmap to achieve the national 2050 mitigation objective, which, for agriculture, is an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land-use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production.  I am disappointed that the...

Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: We are the most carbon-efficient producers of pork.

Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: I do not mean to undermine Deputy Wallace's bona fides in respect of livestock; I think he has done that himself. He is singing the praises of the tillage sector. We need all of the sectors but we need balance in the debate as well. The Deputy should make himself a little better informed about carbon sequestration in the tillage sector. We need balance in the debate. We are committed in...

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: I announced earlier this month that the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland has invited financial institutions to take part in the agriculture cashflow support loan scheme. A number of applications were submitted by the closing date of 25 November. They will now be the subject of a formal approval process. This scheme will enable farmers to improve the management of their cashflow and...

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: On the final point made by the Deputy, this was one of measures the tillage farmers asked for when I met them. They also asked for a targeted agricultural modernisation scheme for the tillage sector and such a scheme will be announced in January 2017. They also sought to be included in the knowledge transfer and this has happened. The Deputy's assertion that this scheme is not what tillage...

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: They have. I appreciate that. The beef industry has asked for compensation of €200 million for suckler cows. There is no shortage of people asking for help. We have to be realistic about what the State can afford. I appreciate the difficulties that are being faced in this sector. I do not believe the response to the myriad of issues being faced in the sector has been bad. While...

Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: There will always be a demand for protein and the Deputy's bias against red meat-----

Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: That is not reflected either in the Deputy's introduction to this question or the previous questions he has asked of my Department. The recent figures that the Deputy refers to are provisional greenhouse gas emissions figures for 2015. Although they indicate a 1.5% increase in agriculture emissions, these figures include an additional category of emissions that were not included in...

Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: The logic of the Deputy's position is that we should dismantle what is among the most carbon-efficient producers of food, be it in dairy or beef. He is saying we should dismantle our system in favour of substituting our industry with imports with a far higher carbon footprint per unit of production. As sure as night follows day, if we dismantled our beef or dairy industry, it would not...

Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: The Deputy wants us all eating muesli or tofu. We must reward the people who are the most carbon-efficient producers of food. The Deputy must accept we cannot be prescriptive about people's dietary habits. If people want to eat red meat, they should have it from the most carbon-efficient producers of red meat.

Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: They should have dairy produce from the most carbon-efficient producers of dairy products. As the Deputy points the finger at Irish agriculture, the alternative is that in undermining its credentials from a sustainability perspective - we should remember it is a grass-based production system, which is the most sustainable type - he undermines the commitment to doing more by arguing that...

Other Questions: Bovine Disease Controls (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: There is no stakeholder in this that wants to see a resolution more quickly than the farming community. My Department is not in the slipstream of this either: we are in the vanguard in driving it. However, we must have a rational, scientific basis on which to proceed. In the interim, where badger issues associated with TB outbreaks in particular areas are identified - the Department...

Other Questions: Beef Exports (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: As an exporting country, accessing new markets is crucial to the long-term sustainability of our agrifood sector, especially in the beef sector. For beef exports, 2015 was a very successful year. According to the CSO, overall exports of beef totalled some €2.2 billion that year. Beef exports to the end of September 2016 are running at €1.65 billion. Third-country markets are...

Other Questions: Beef Exports (30 Nov 2016)

Michael Creed: I am extremely concerned about the fact that a post-Brexit scenario, in which the UK can unilaterally conduct its own trade negotiations, could lead to the UK doing a deal with the Mercosur countries or other countries in respect of imports of a range of commodities, including beef, which could have the impact of undermining our position on UK supermarket shelves. One of the messages on...