Results 1,161-1,180 of 23,915 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Control of Horses (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this issue. I will take the opportunity to briefly address the "RTÉ Investigates" programme that aired last night. The scenes we saw on the programme were shocking and appalling. The mistreatment of horses that we saw was absolutely unacceptable. We have strict laws in this country in relation to the welfare of animals as well as the traceability...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I agree with the Deputy on the importance of protecting and supporting family farm income. There have been more part-time farmers over the past ten, 20 or 30 years. Whether farmers are part-time or full-time, my objective has been that through the schemes and income generation opportunities we deliver in government, we make it worth their while. Food Vision 2030 is a very strong programme,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I am fully committed to the promotion and retention of the family farm model in Ireland. It is something unique and valuable. It is the heartbeat of our rural economy and the promotion of the family farm has been at centre of all my major initiatives as Minister, including almost €10 billion of investment on Irish farms under the CAP strategic plan. Implementation of this plan is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the fact that the Deputy put forward a Bill and that she is focusing on the family farm model. However, the fact that the collaborative system we have developed over the past 20 years, starting with former Minister for Agriculture, Deputy Brendan Smith, and Food Harvest 2020, followed by the ten-year strategy under Food Wise 2025. The most recent ten-year strategy Food Vision 2030...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Agreements (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The European Union and Mercosur have been negotiating a new trade agreement for over 20 years. Throughout these negotiations my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who lead on trade policy issues for the Government, have engaged extensively and continue to engage on the ongoing negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur. While political agreement...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Dogs (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is fully committed to promoting responsible dog ownership, which is such an important issue. I recognise that the recent series of dog attacks, particularly the tragic and shocking events in Limerick, have caused huge concerns to people in this regard. That is why I am taking firm action, along with my colleague Minister Humphreys, to encourage responsible dog ownership and to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 57 together. Since the first finding of Ash Dieback in Ireland in 2012, my Department has introduced Reconstitution Schemes to restore forests planted under the afforestation scheme which had suffered from, or which were associated with, plants affected by disease. Under the new Reconstitution for Ash Dieback Scheme which opened last year site...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Farmers are key stakeholders who have a vital role to play in upscaling the biomethane industry in Ireland. Without farmers, the industry will not develop at the required scale. The Programme for Government 2020 committed to a Land Use Review to ensure relevant land use options inform Government Decisions. It was one of the key considerations during the formation of the recently...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: While the organisation of farm bodies is a matter for themselves and is not my responsibility, gender equality is a key a priority for me. Current CAP Regulations place particular focus on promoting women’s participation in the development of rural areas, with special attention to farming. Good progress has been made in this area and under Ireland’s new CAP Strategic Plan (CSP)...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 51 and 54 together. My Department published a Forestry Licencing Plan in December 2023 which outlines our strong commitment to issuing licences in 2024. The Plan estimates that we will issue 4,200 new forestry licences of all types in 2024, which includes 1,000 afforestation licences. The Afforestation target for 2024 is 8,000 hectares. This is, however,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulatory Bodies (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I am very proud to be the Minister that established Ireland's first independent Agri Food Regulator, An Rialálaí Agraibhia, last December following the enactment of the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023. The Regulator has an important role to promote fairness and transparency in the agricultural and food supply chain. Importantly in the context of the Deputy's...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Ireland exports almost 90% of its agri-food produce annually to over 170 countries and in 2023, these exports were valued at €18.28 billion. At EU level, this means operating to common rules under the Single Market and globally the WTO sets the rules on matters of international trade. The rules to be applied, including in Ireland, therefore operate to over-arching frameworks....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, in March this year, I announced important flexibility to the date by which lime must be spread under the 2023 National Liming Programme to 28th June 2024. This extension was permitted due to the challenging weather conditions at that time. However, with the continued poor weather and little improvement in soil trafficability in some parts of the country, I have...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: A key focus of Food Vision 2030, the Irish agri-food sector's 10-year strategic plan, is to grow the value of our agri-food exports on international markets. Food Vision identifies a number of actions targeted at realising this growth ambition. These actions include new market diversification and promotion activities. My Department works closely with Bord Bia and Irish agri-food sector...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Safety (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is implementing a range of measures to raise awareness of farm safety in 2024 through dedicated funding of €2.5m. They include actions to promote farm safety practices and encourage behavioural change around farm safety from a young age, and capital support to make farms safer. Some of the measures are as follows: The TAMS3 Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme provides...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department continuously monitors key economic indicators in the agri-food sector, in collaboration with Teagasc and the Central Statistics Office (CSO). There is a particular focus on changes in farm input costs, as well as developments in farm incomes, viability, structures, key commodities and food industry trends. The CSO releases its Agricultural Price Indices monthly, tracking...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I can assure the Deputy that my Department constantly monitors the needs of the fisheries sector. In addition to meeting representatives of the sector, holding formal consultations and attending public forums, we monitor developments in key economic indicators. I established the Seafood Task Force in 2021 to examine the impacts of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on our...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: 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. This includes monitoring agricultural input and output prices. The CSO publish monthly Agricultural Output and Input Price Indices. These indices monitor trends in prices paid to farmers for their produce and prices paid by...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tillage Sector (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The competitiveness of Irish cereal production compares very favourably to other EU countries. However, the prolonged period of very wet weather since last summer resulted in significant challenges for tillage farmers in getting crops planted for this year’s harvest. The area of winter cereal crops is down compared to previous years, while most planting of spring cereals took...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (13 Jun 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department has several policies and strategies in place to ensure agriculture plays its role in meeting the national climate targets for 2030 and 2050, while continuing to sustainably produce food and feed. Indeed, the Food Vision 2030 Strategy sets out a pathway for Ireland to become a world leader in Sustainable Food Systems over the next decade. The targets for agriculture are...