Results 12,361-12,380 of 18,331 for speaker:Brendan Smith
- Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (25 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The majority of farmers who applied for REPS 4 were former participants in either REPS 1, REPS 2 or REPS 3. The following table details county-by-county the number of former participants in REPS 3 who applied for REPS 4. County Carlow 132 Cavan 383 Clare 462 Cork 1,165 Donegal 276 Dublin 23 Galway 692 Kerry 478 Kildare 146 Kilkenny 182 Laois 347 Leitrim 543 Limerick 457...
- Written Answers — Departmental Research: Departmental Research (25 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The Farm Structure Survey (Central Statistics Office 2007) showed that 51 percent of all farmers were aged 55 or more, while 26 percent were aged 45 or less. Specialist tillage farmers and dairy farmers tended to have a younger age profile with 46 and 39 percent respectively over the age of 55. As part of the 2020 Strategy we are currently developing, my Department has commissioned the Rural...
- Written Answers — Crop Losses: Crop Losses (25 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: A total of 256 applications under the Aid Scheme for Fodder Damaged by Floods were confirmed as eligible for aid following inspection. These payments were valued at â¬528,718 in total; the county breakdown is as follows: County No Cases Monetary Amount Clare 16 â¬30,969.25 Cork 3 â¬12,985.00 Galway 107 â¬243,978.08 Kerry 1 â¬1,750.00 Kilkenny 1 â¬2,100.00 Leitrim 11...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: As at the closing date of the 19 February 2010, some 359 applications which related to potato and/or field vegetable crop losses were received. Following a preliminary examination, some 20 claimants were deemed ineligible under the EU State Aid rules which require that the losses suffered must exceed 30% of the grower's average of production in the 3 previous years. All the remaining 339...
- Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: My Department actively encourages forest owners to thin their crops, where silviculturally appropriate. Not all forests are suitable for thinning. If a forest is exposed to high winds or located on unstable soils, the risk of thinning may outweigh the advantages. Thinning can not only improve the quality of the final crop trees, it can also provide a source of intermediate income for...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: Funding is currently available for the Forest Road Scheme and applications are being processed in the normal way.
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The person concerned is an applicant under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme. His application was rejected as certain requirements, notably concerning the lease, were not met. Under the terms and conditions of the Scheme a lease must run for at least seven years from an applicant's set-up date and this was not the case for this application. Further submissions regarding the...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: Payment will issue to the person named within ten working days.
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The person named has 14 animals for consideration under the 2009 Suckler Welfare Scheme. The Terms and Conditions of the Suckler Welfare Scheme (section 8.5.2) clearly states that for herds of more than 10 suckler cows a gradual weaning procedure must be followed. It is open to the farmers to wean at pasture or indoors but the calves must be weaned in at least 2 separate groups with each...
- Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: Under EU legislation (Council Regulation 104/2000 and Commission Regulation 2065/2001) fishery products, including Lobsters must be labelled with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation catchment, common name and species name. The food business operator must also be in a position to trace the fishery product (Lobster) one step back in the supply chain, and ensuring that all...
- Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The bacterium Aerococcus viridans var. homeri causes a disease called Gaffkaemia. This disease is endemic to the lobster (Homarus americanus) populations of North America and it has been reported that the level of infection in wild populations can range from 0-40%. The disease has also been reported in European waters, firstly back in 1996 and on several occasions since then. The European...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: My officials have asked the person named for record sheets and a copy of a lease. His application cannot be processed further until these are received.
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: My Department is completing the current phase of the reorganisation of its network of local offices. When this phase has been completed, arrangements for the final phase, to include Galway, will be finalised. In the meantime my Department has asked the Office of Public Works to report on the cost of refurbishing the offices in Mellows College, Athenry. When this report is to hand the...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: There are 52.5 full time equivalent staff in my Department's office in Galway. My Department has not yet sought expressions of interest from staff who may be interested in relocating there.
- Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: My Department has responsibility for the licensing of aquaculture in the State in accordance with the provisions of national and EU law. Pursuant to the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997, the primary legal framework for the aquaculture industry in the State, any decision made on an application for an aquaculture licence can be appealed to the independent Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board. In...
- Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 223, 224 and 226 together. A total of 221 officials are employed to process applications under the Single Payment Scheme, Single Payment entitlements, CAP Rural Development Scheme, the Bio Energy Scheme, Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, Upland Sheep Payment, Sugar Diversification Fund, Sugar Restructuring Fund, Protein Aid, Grassland Sheep Scheme, Dairy Efficiency...
- Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: There are 26 staff (whole time equivalents) working in the Export Refunds area of my Department at the present time â a quarter of the number engaged in this area ten years ago. The plan is for further substantial reductions over the next few months as remaining work is cleared and export-refund related activity continues to decline.
- Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: There are no claims that jobs will be created in policy papers, reports or documents commissioned by or compiled by my Department over the last five years. However, in March 2009, I announced awards of grant aid under the Beef and Sheepmeat Investment Fund indicating that the proposed investments were expected to increase net sales by â¬408 million, exports by â¬433 million and employment...
- Written Answers — Installation Aid Scheme: Installation Aid Scheme (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: My Department has no record of having received an application under the Young Farmers' Installation Scheme from the person concerned. As the Deputy will be aware, the Scheme was suspended for new applications on 14 October 2008.
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (19 May 2010)
Brendan Smith: The Terms and Conditions of the Suckler Welfare Scheme (section 8.5.2) clearly states that for herds of more than 10 suckler cows a gradual weaning procedure must be followed. It is open to the farmers to wean at pasture or indoors but the calves must be weaned in at least 2 separate groups with each group being removed at a minimum interval of 5 days. A copy of the Terms and Conditions is...