Results 12,981-13,000 of 23,976 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The information requested by the Deputy is being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I would like to assure the Deputy  that animal welfare is high on the agenda of my Department and considerable resources and funding are provided to address the issue. The Programme for Government also contains an undertaking to provide additional urban horse welfare programmes to which I am fully committed.  My policy and the policy of the Government...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 843 to 846, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that issues in relaqtion to the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Schemes are operational matters for Bord Bia. However I can advise that the Bord Bia Grass Fed Beef and Dairy Standards have been developed by Bord Bia following consultation with my Department, Teagasc, farmers and processors. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government (PFG) has committed to exploring the potential for the growing of fibre crops such as hemp.   My Department has been active on this issue and undertook a consultation on the hemp industry in 2019. This consultation included those involved in hemp regulation, research and the then hemp representative...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2003 transferred the functions of sea-fishing boat licensing from the Minister to the Licensing Authority for Sea-fishing Boats, which operates on an independent basis subject to criteria set out in that Act and Ministerial Policy Directives.  The Licensing Authority is the Registrar General of Fishing Boats, an official of the Department of Agriculture,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Rásaíocht Con Éireann is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. Rásaíocht Con Éireann  is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Irish Coursing...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Developing increased non-UK market access and furthering trade opportunities abroad continue to be integral parts of my Department’s response to the challenges posed by Brexit. My Department has been very active in this regard. Encouragingly, exports to our more traditional and existing markets such as other EU Member States exceeded €4 billion...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: European Union legislation provides for a set of harmonised rules to ensure that food and feed are safe, and to ensure a high level of human, animal and plant health as well as animal welfare along the agri-food chain. Primary responsibility for ensuring that the obligations set out in Union agri-food chain legislation are met rests with operators. The Official Controls Regulation is clear...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy knows, the EU-UK Trade negotiations are ongoing at present and it is therefore not possible to say what, if any, impacts the outcome may have for our seafood industry.  When we know the outcome of those discussions, I will examine the implications, if any, for Ireland's seafood sector and indeed the wider agri-food sector, and discuss Ireland's views with the European...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Brexit poses very significant challenges for the Irish beef sector in particular because of its exposure to the UK market.  In value terms, Ireland exported €2.4 billion worth of beef last year, of which Great Britain accounted for €909 million (39%). If there is no agreement in the EU-UK negotiations, tariffs will apply on exports to and imports from...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tuberculosis Eradication Programme (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Following many successful years of reducing bovine TB levels to the benefit of Irish farmers, there has been a concerning incremental increase in the disease since 2016. This has continued in 2020 with further increases in herd incidence and reactor numbers observed. Herd incidence (on a 12-month rolling basis) has breached 4% for the first time since 2012 and reactor numbers have exceeded...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tuberculosis Eradication Programme (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The table at the link details the number of herds experiencing a new restriction, due to bovine TB, since 1st January each year, by county. While TB disease is low relative to historical levels, the number of new restrictions and reactor numbers have been gradually increasing since 2016. The pace of deterioration has accelerated in 2020. The reasons for the increased TB incidence...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Brexit poses challenges for the Irish sheep meat sector in because of its exposure to the UK market.  In value terms, Ireland exported €318 million worth of sheep meat ear, of which Great Britain accounted for €62 million (around 20%). 71% of export value was accounted for by EU markets, reflecting a lower degree of exposure to the British market than is the case...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Imports (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy’s office as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Exports (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Markets for Irish dairy produce, despite significant challenges faced in recent years, in particular the impact of Brexit uncertainty and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, continue to perform strongly.  My Department remains extremely vigilant in monitoring the current market and emerging trends, and engaging with the industry to ensure a continued strong...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I am of course very aware of both the challenges and opportunities that may present themselves to the potato industry post-Brexit. The restrictions around importation of potatoes presents a very significant opportunity to our potato industry to displace imported potatoes with high quality produce from our own farmers. To ensure that the sector is well placed to exploit such opportunities,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The total area of potatoes sown in Ireland has remained relatively stable over the recent period. In 2016 the area sown was 8,945Ha; in 2017 it was 9,067Ha; in 2018 the area reduced to 8,233Ha; in 2019 saw an increase to 8,634Ha and this continued in 2020 with plantings of 8,873Ha. I am firmly of the view that opportunities to increase the national acreage of potatoes will emerge...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Under EU legislation, Ireland is one of a small number of areas within the EU officially recognized as a High-Grade Seed Area to produce seed potatoes. This is because the country is free from a number of significant potato diseases that occur in other member states. My Department continues to support the Irish Seed potato sector by providing significant funding to Teagasc who carry out a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tillage Sector (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The data requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled and will be forwarded as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Poultry Industry (8 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As a value-for-money source of protein-rich food, poultrymeat has seen an increase in demand in recent years. The past decade has seen ever increasing levels of poultry meat production, with the annual slaughter figure rising by 20% to reach 106 million head and the tonnage of production rising by 20% to reach 160,800 tonnes in 2019.  Ireland exports poultry to over 30 countries...