Results 13,021-13,040 of 23,976 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes, since the legislation went through, we are. Undoubtedly there is a crunch in supply within the sector, which has built up as a result of the backlog that was there. That undoubtedly is causing massive challenges and difficulties for the sector. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, and I are very conscious of it and every step that can be taken is taken within the Department to...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes, and further spending in addition to that.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: A total of 2,700 of the applications do not require ecological input. The significant backlog has been in respect of those that need additional work because of the ecological requirements for those particular applications.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Those 2,700 applications are being processed and being dealt with, and 2,300 licences were issued this year over the course of 2020. As licence applications are coming in, licences are going out but there has been a backlog there. Where there are 4,700 on hand currently, 2,300 have been issued over the year 2020. That needs to be more. It is ramping up and volume is coming out but it...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The big crunch at the moment is in volume for felling.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Will the Deputy give me the figure again?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I do not have those figures here.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Let us look at the output since the legislation passed and since additional staff have come on board. If we look at where we were throughout 2020 and where we have been in the last couple of months, we see volume is starting to ramp up again significantly and it needs to continue to ramp up. I can assure the committee that in terms of the additional staff coming on board, and more will come...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 30 – Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (3 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I was going to say that the notes I have with me are around the Estimate, which is not relevant to the forestry question. I do not have the dashboard in front of me at the moment to compare the figures that the Deputy has in front of him. What I can be very clear on is that every effort is being made to address the supply crunch that is there, and to address the issues in regard to volume...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Let me acknowledge there are delays in the issuing of forestry licences and there are currently real challenges and difficulties in the sector as a result. I fully recognise the impact this is having on the sector. My immediate priority is to resolve the issues which have led to this backlog and issue licences in the volume needed for this important sector to continue to contribute to our...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Some 4,700 files are in hand, 2,000 of which require an ecology input and assessment. Those require much more work and are where the delays have primarily occurred. The others, which do not require an ecological input, tend to be processed more quickly. As I said, so far this year, 2,300 licences have been issued to date. The fact the number of licences being issued has not been what is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Covid-19 Pandemic (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Since the beginning of the Covid19 global pandemic, my Department has worked intensively, in cooperation with marts representative organisations, to ensure that marts may remain in operation. I would like to commend the representative organisations for this good cooperation. I would like to commend also the marts themselves, and farmers around the country, for the resilience they have shown...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Retirement Scheme (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: In recent years, the priority of my Department has shifted to the encouragement of generational change for farmers by assisting the development of our young farmers. There is a range of supports in place including specific agri-taxation measures to incentivise this generational change. The agri-taxation measures specifically aimed at young farmers include 100% stock relief on income tax for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Beef Finisher Payment (BFP) scheme was launched on the 10th August 2020. The aim of the scheme was to provide income support for farmers finishing beef who have been impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Payments are made based on the data contained on my Department’s Animal Identification and Movements (AIM) system. My Department issued €46.6m to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Beef Finisher Payment (BFP) scheme was launched on 10th August 2020. The aim of the scheme was to provide income support for farmers finishing beef who have been impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Payments are made based on the data contained on my Department’s Animal Identification and Movements (AIM) system. My Department issued €46.6m to 27,200...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Valuers are appointed as contractors to my Department via a multi-supplier tendering framework advertised on the e-tenders website in line with relevant Irish and EU public procurement regulations. The most recent request for tender (RFT), completed in 2016, required prospective tenderers to provide evidence of at least three years' experience in the evaluation of bovine livestock in one or...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: This herd was restricted on 2nd October 2020 as a result of an animal, which was exported to Northern Ireland for direct slaughter, having suspect lesions. The lesions were sent for laboratory analysis to confirm the presence or otherwise of bovine TB. The results are awaited and they generally take around 11 weeks. According to my Department's records, the herdowner contacted the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Imports Data (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Approximately 5 million tonnes of compound feed is manufactured in Ireland annually. This production comprises 3.5 million tonnes of feed ingredients imported from EU and Third Countries, with the remainder supplied from home-grown cereals. The main feed ingredients imported are protein supplements, maize and maize by-products, soyabean meal and rapeseed meal, much of which originates in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: There is a common application procedure across Member States for PGI applications in the form of a specification document and a common single document to be completed by the applicant. My Department, as the Competent Authority, assesses whether the application dossier fulfils the necessary criteria and, if and when satisfied, publishes it on the Department website for a national...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (2 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: To date, there have been no all-island PGI applications for food received by my Department. Separately, Ireland's three PGI Spirit Drink GIs are recognised on an all-island basis. The Technical Files detailing the product specifications for the Spirit Drink Geographic Indications were submitted to the EU Commission in February 2015 and registered in March 2019.