Results 12,561-12,580 of 18,338 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: The processing of REPS 4 payments is governed by EU Regulations which require exhaustive administrative checks and on-the-spot inspections. In most parts of the country, the processing of payments is well advanced and the majority of participants have received their full payments for 2009. In a significant number of cases, however, the administrative checks raised issues and queries which...

Written Answers — Job Creation: Job Creation (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: The CSO publishes employment statistics each quarter in the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). The QNHS estimates the number of persons employed in any given sector for that quarter rather than the inward and outward flows in terms of job creation and job losses in that sector for the quarter. In common with the overall economy, the effects of the global recession and downturn in the...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: Bord Bia publishes annual data on the value of food and beverage exports. They estimate that in 2008 and 2009 over €15 billion worth of produce was exported by the sector. Their most recent estimates are that the value food and drink exports in 2009 declined by 12% to approximately €7.1 billion. This reduction was attributable to a number of factors including declines in the value of...

Written Answers — Dairy Sector: Dairy Sector (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Government is committed to ensuring that the Irish dairy sector reaches its full potential. One of the major challenges will be to ensure that Irish farming and the agri-food sector is at the heart of an evolving high-value food market, which is focused on quality and innovation. This is at the core of Government strategy under the AgriVision 2015 Plan which set out a series of actions...

Written Answers — Fisheries Protection: Fisheries Protection (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: In 2006 Ireland (the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government) formally designated 4 marine sites off the west and south-west coast of Ireland (Belgica Mound Province, Hovland Mound Province, the Northwest Porcupine Bank and the South West Porcupine Bank) as Special Areas of Conservation under the Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) to conserve resident cold...

Written Answers — Agri-Environment Options Scheme: Agri-Environment Options Scheme (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: Subject to the need to carry out adequate administrative checks to meet regulatory and audit requirements, it is my intention to ensure that participants in the new Agri-Environment Options Scheme can start their contracts at the earliest possible date.

Written Answers — Beef Imports: Beef Imports (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: Since the beginning of 2008 Brazilian beef must be sourced from holdings in regions of the country approved for export to the EU that can provide for animal traceability. This supplementary certification requirement, proposed by the Commission and accepted by the majority of the Member States, was felt appropriate to guarantee hygiene and health status of beef exports to the EU. Imports into...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: I have no role in the commercial operations of dairy companies. My objective is to ensure a policy framework which will facilitate the dairy industry, as a key part of the agri-food sector, to reach its full potential and to maximise the return from the marketplace on the basis of competitive, innovative and sustainable production of quality products. In this context I expect to have a...

Written Answers — Agri-Environment Options Scheme: Agri-Environment Options Scheme (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS) is a multi-annual scheme and provision has been made for up to 10,000 participants at a maximum annual rate of €5,000.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: Out of 29,376 farmers due payments in REPS 4, 100% payments have issued to over 21,000 as of 23 April 2010, with a further 1,342 payments issuing this week. The processing of REPS 4 payments is governed by EU Regulations which require exhaustive administrative checks and on-the-spot inspections. In most parts of the country, the processing of payments is well advanced and the majority of...

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: A total of €70,495,666 of premium payments was made to forest owners in 2009. To date in 2010, payments to the value of €54,079,014 have been paid. This will increase according as new afforestation applications are approved.

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: Since the first Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming was introduced in 1994, it has been the practice to continue to pay the pension to dependants of participants who died before the period of their pension had elapsed. This arrangement was provided for first scheme document which was approved by the Commission and in the Rural Development Programme, 2000–2006, under which the second...

Written Answers — Farm Inspections: Farm Inspections (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: This year, in an effort to minimise duplication of farm inspections, my Department agreed to carry out some 1,500 farm inspections under the GAP regulations on behalf of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The EU regulations governing cross-compliance, which includes the Nitrates directive, set out a range of percentage reductions for non-compliance. Where...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Renewed Programme for Government contains a specific commitment to "implement a Code of Practice for doing business in the Grocery Goods sector to develop a fair trading relationship between retailers and their suppliers" and "to review progress of the Code and if necessary to put in place a mandatory code". The Government will give effect to this commitment by including a specific...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: There was no reported impact of volcanic ash on Irish agricultural production. The European Food Safety Authority concluded that "based on available information, the potential risk posed by fluoride in volcanic ash through contamination of drinking water, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, milk and feed in the European Union is negligible".

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: The development of an All-Island Animal Health and Welfare Strategy was agreed under the North South Ministerial Council arrangements, as part of the commitment to closer co-operation and joint approaches for the improvement of animal health and welfare on the island of Ireland. The Strategy provides a basis to enhance animal health and welfare standards and to have expanded opportunities for...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 236 and 238 together. The Minister for Health and Children has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation. Responsibility for the enforcement of this legislation rests with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (F.S.A.I.). This is done through service contracts between the F.S.A.I and my Department, The Sea Fisheries Protection...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: Discussions are ongoing in the European Council, and in a number of other Council formations, on a replacement strategy for the Lisbon Agenda, to steer the EU to economic recovery, growth and jobs in the period up to 2020. This strategy is known as the EU 2020 strategy. To this end, earlier this year the EU Commission produced a communication setting out the proposed priorities and targets...

Written Answers — EU Fisheries: EU Fisheries (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: The information requested by the Deputy, as well as other statistical data relating to EU fisheries, is available in the report entitled "Facts and figures on the CFP: Basic Data on the Common Fisheries Policy" published by the European Community. I will arrange to have a copy of this report sent to the Deputy under a separate cover.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (29 Apr 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 240, 245, 248 and 249 together. There are no appreciable delays in issuing payments to farmers under the various schemes operated by the Department with the exception of the REPS scheme and the Young Farmers Installation Scheme. In the case of REPS, in meeting the requirements of EU regulations, applications for payments have to go through an exhaustive series...