Results 12,921-12,940 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which came into operation on 6 March 2014, is a legal instrument with wide application and potential use by a range of authorised officers in a wide variety of settings. Local authorities, An Garda Síochána and officials of my Department are empowered to take prosecutions under the Act. To date, over fifty prosecutions have been initiated...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Exports (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I propose to take Questions Nos. 715 and 721 together. There is a strong demand for beef globally and my role as Minister is to facilitate market access and to enable Irish exporters to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. In 2015 Ireland exported an estimated €2.2 billion, or approximately 500,000 tonnes of beef, to almost 80 countries around the globe. Food Wise 2025...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry Development (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: Our seafood industry has been on a sustained growth path in recent years, with sales growing to €890 million in 2015. Current FAO estimates are that growth in world consumption of fish will require an extra 40 million tonnes of seafood by 2030. Ireland can capture a significant share of this global seafood opportunity with the right strategy and supporting investment. FoodWise 2025...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Wise 2025 Strategy (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: Food Wise 2025, the new ten year strategy for the agrifood sector published in July last year, replaced Food Harvest 2020. 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,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sheepmeat Sector (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The new Programme for Government commits to the introduction of a scheme for sheep farmers under the Rural Development Programme with a budget of €25 million to be provided in Budget 2017. Any such scheme must comply with the Rural Development Regulation. The scheme proposed will be additional to existing supports available to sheep farmers under the BPS, GLAS, ANC and TAMS, will...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: UK Referendum on EU Membership (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The decision of the UK to leave the EU is one that creates considerable challenges for the agri-food sector. The UK is by far our largest trading partner.  Last year we exported almost €5.1 billion worth of agricultural products. This included more than €1.1 billion in beef products and almost €970 million in dairy products. Ireland is also the UK’s largest...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Exports (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I was delighted to announce last week the decision of the US authorities to extend their approval for Irish beef to include manufacturing beef/beef intended for grinding (BIFG). This marks the culmination of over a year of intensive work between my Department and its US counterparts on a range of technical matters. The new US decision paves the way for industry to undertake the steps...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: Total investment in forestry in the years 2007 to 2015 inclusive was approximately €1,021million. This includes expenditure on grants and premiums for the establishment of new forests and other support measures such as forest roads and woodland improvement. The reference period covers the Forestry Development Programme 2007 – 2014 and the current forestry programme 2015 to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sustainable Development Goals (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal Number 2 “Zero Hunger” aims to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. Food security is defined by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as: “a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Subsidies (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I have indicated on a number of occasions since the UK referendum that one of the areas in which issues are raised from an agriculture perspective is the effect on the EU budget. The UK decision to leave the EU will result in a loss of the UK contribution to the EU budget of between 5 and 10%. This could have implications for future spending decisions in what is already a very tight...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff Recruitment (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: My Department does not engage agency staff. It does however, from time to time, engage external services providers when such proves to be more cost effective when Department staff are not available. Such expenditure is based on competitive tendering with extensive use of Central Government and Department specific frameworks which continue to drive costs down. My Department engages...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: My Department does not engage agency staff. It does however, from time to time, engage external services providers when such proves to be more cost effective when Department staff are not available. Such expenditure is based on competitive tendering with extensive use of Central Government and Department specific frameworks which continue to drive costs down. My Department engages...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Websites (12 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: An EU Directive on the accessibility of the public sector bodies' websites will come into force in the near future. My Department welcomes this Directive and is committed to meeting its obligations in respect of the Directive and is currently exploring how best to ensure that its website is accessible to all. My Department is keenly aware of difficulties that persons with a disability...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Data Programme (7 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The person name applied to participate in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme on 18 May 2015. An initial payment of €2,231.42 issued in December 2015. At the time of the initial payment, all of the required survey details had not been received in the Department in order to facilitate full payment . The person named subsequently submitted the remainder of their outstanding survey...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (7 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The person concerned is an applicant under the TAMS II Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme. The application is currently being processed and once it has been determined that all the terms and conditions of the Scheme have been complied with a letter of approval to carry out the works will issue.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: TB Eradication Scheme (7 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine fully complies with the terms and conditions of licences issued by the National Parks and Wildlife Service to remove badgers in the context of its Bovine TB eradication programme. My officials work very closely with those of the NPWS in implementing this policy and are in constant contact on the badger capturing programme, including at local...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (7 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: I fully acknowledge the concerns of the agri-food sector about the potential implications of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. My Department and our agencies, in association with our stakeholders, have been giving careful consideration to this issue for some time, looking at the areas in which the greatest risks may arise and on which we will need to focus when negotiations begin. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Security (7 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The FAO definition of food security states that: "food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (World Food Summit, 1996). Food security has four main dimensions - food availability, food access, utilisation and stability....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (7 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: The Horticulture Industry Forum was established in Summer 2014 to allow the horticulture industry work together to discuss and seek solutions to the issues it faces. The Forum consists of growers representing all the main sectors within Ireland’s edible horticulture industry. Teagasc and the IFA are associate members of the Forum. In line with the recommendation set down in Food Wise...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (7 Jul 2016)

Michael Creed: There are no proposals at present to give special status to the horticulture sector, however the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine implements two schemes that specifically facilitate development of Ireland’s horticulture sector. The nationally funded Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector provides grant aid at a rate of 40%...