Results 12,861-12,880 of 18,338 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: Due to industrial action by staff in my Department, I am unable to provide a reply to this question.

Written Answers — Dairy Industry: Dairy Industry (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: Dairy farmers' incomes comprise the market price paid for milk and direct income support from the EU. The Single Farm Payment for dairy producers includes a dairy premium of 3.6c per litre. Market forces have a major influence on the price paid to farmers for milk. World market prices determine the returns received by dairy processors and these in turn are reflected in the price paid to...

Written Answers — Farm Input Costs: Farm Input Costs (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: The most recent information regarding comparative data for prevailing farm input costs prices across the European Union is contained in an EU Commission report published last year entitled "Agriculture in the European Union – Statistical and economic information 2008". This provides details of farm input costs for a range of inputs in various Member States over the 3-year period from...

Written Answers — Cereal Sector: Cereal Sector (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: Details of prevailing producer prices for cereals across Member States are not readily available. The most recent information is contained in an EU Commission report published last year entitled 'Agriculture in the European Union – Statistical and economic information 2008'. This provides details of producer prices for certain cereals in some Member States over 4 years. The information...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 202 together. Responsibility for enforcement of labelling legislation rests with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) through its service contracts with my Department, the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency, the Health Services Executive, the Local Authorities and the National Consumer Agency. As far as my Department is concerned, labelling checks...

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: The rates of payment under the rural environment protection scheme included a premium over and above the basic REPS payment in respect of Natura, natural heritage areas and commonage land. The basic payment reflected the whole-farm approach of the scheme under which the same rate per hectare was paid to each participant regardless of the specific actions he or she had undertaken. To secure...

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: It is not REPS light; it is a new scheme. As Deputy Creed will know from discussions he has had with me and the Oireachtas committee, the European Commission would not allow us to bring in a whole-farm-based scheme. In 2006, the European Court of Auditors was severely critical of agri-environment schemes in general, not just our scheme, and it stated that it was often not possible to...

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: Deputy Creed is aware the Commission brought in some years ago a calendar date for farmers to participate in REPS. In the past, those participating in REPS 2 and REPS 3, by and large, made their applications in November and December and the anniversary date occurred, by and large, at that time of the year; 17 May has now become the closing date because it coincides with the single farm...

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: The whole-farm approach is not available to any country in regard to these measures.

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: REPS 4 was introduced-----

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: I closed REPS 4 but I paid out the largest amount of money ever under that scheme. The reality is that 63,000 people are participating in REPS at the present time.

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: This time last year, there were 46,000 in it.

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy should let me answer. I have not misled the House at any time. The Deputy is the one who continually misleads the House with his suggestions and inaccuracies.

Agri-Environment Scheme. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: The reality is that 17,000 new applications were received before 15 May last year and a further 1,600 before 8 July. All of those are being honoured. The highest level of funding for REPS was provided and paid out in 2009. That will be repeated in 2010.

Dairy Industry. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: In October 2009, I announced the establishment of a dairy consultative group so that I could ascertain the views of major stakeholders in the dairy sector on issues emerging at the EU Commission's high level group on the dairy sector. The Commission established the high level group following a special meeting of the Council of Ministers on the dairy sector last October. It is chaired by...

Dairy Industry. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: When a working group is being established, there are always more organisations and individual representatives seeking access and participating than it is possible to facilitate otherwise it would become unwieldy. Apart from the working group and the consultative group, the Department meets other groups. More than any other Department, it is open to meeting groups, consultation and policy...

Dairy Industry. (11 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: This group would have met people at official level, although I am open to correction on that. We may be blamed at times for being too accessible to groups. The other groups represented on the consultative group also have disparate opinions on the dairy sector but the one viewpoint shared by everyone around the table is that the dairy industry has been going through a difficult time. It has...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (10 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: Due to industrial action by staff in my Department, I am not in a position to provide a reply to this question.

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (10 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: This is a matter for Teagasc, the legal successors to the Council of the Agriculture Institute, with which the person concerned was employed.

Written Answers — Crop Losses: Crop Losses (10 Mar 2010)

Brendan Smith: An application under the Frost Damage Scheme, which I introduced to provide some compensation for damage to potatoes and vegetables caused by frost damage in January of this year, was received from the person named and I am pleased to say that the necessary inspection will take place within the coming days.