Results 13,161-13,180 of 24,092 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

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

Charlie McConalogue: On 16th September 2020, my Department notified the person named of the loss of 5.66 entitlements to the National Reserve in 2020 as these entitlements had not been used over the two year usage period (2019 and 2020). On 20th October 2020, my Department received a late 2019 Transfer of Entitlements application to transfer these 5.66 entitlements, by way of gift, from the person named to the...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 195 together. My Department receives forestry applications and issues new licences every week of the year. This means there is a constant turnover of applications and a worklist which has these applications at various stages of processing. We update our weekly licencing output to stakeholders through a dashboard. There are approximately 4,700...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together. The FAC is independent of my Department and reports separately on its output on its own website. The information below has been sourced from the FAC. With the introduction of the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 on 7thOctober 2020, four sub-divisions of the FAC have been established to deal with appeals in an increase from...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 to 200, inclusive, together. The national response to Ash Dieback has moved away from eradication of the disease in light of experience and scientific evidence that such an approach is no longer feasible. The Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) launched in June this year focuses on ash plantation management. This approach categorises plantations...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Dutch elm disease is a forest disease caused by a fungus (Ophiostomaspp.) that affects elms in Europe and North America. Even though a fungus causes the disease, it spreads due to the action of bark beetles, which carry fungal spores allowing the fungus to infect new trees. Wych elm (Ulmus glabra) is the only native elm species in Ireland and is highly susceptible to Dutch elm disease. Once...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Following detailed scrutiny by my Department, including a National Opposition Procedure and extensive stakeholder engagement, my Department has now submitted the application from Bord Bia for PGI status for 'Irish Grass Fed Beef' to the European Commission. The European Commission must now also complete a detailed process in evaluating this application. I have written to Commissioner...

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

Charlie McConalogue: In submitting the application for PGI status for 'Irish Grass Fed Beef', I have emphasised to Commissioner Wojciechowski that Ireland would strongly support and recommend the PGI being extended on an all-island basis, when a grass-fed verification system is in place in Northern Ireland. Bord Bia have already had detailed engagement with their Northern Ireland counterparts and...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) 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. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. RCÉ had sought, as part of the modernising of the...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Ireland’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017–20 (iNAP) outlines Ireland’s commitment to the development and implementation of a holistic, cross-sectoral ‘One Health’ approach to the problem of antimicrobial resistance. iNAP was developed jointly by the Department of Health and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine following...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The Chief Veterinary Officer within my Department recently received a communication from the Chief Medical Officer setting out the view and concern of the Department of Health relating to the identification of mutations of SARS-CoV-2 in the mink population in Europe. The demonstration of one strain which appeared in laboratory tests to exhibit decreased susceptibility to antibodies from...

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. My Department has adapted the conditions under which marts must operate since April, to reflect the various measures introduced by the Government to stop the spread of this disease. The Taoiseach...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making Europe climate neutral in 2050. The President of the European Commission has made the European Green Deal a priority for her mandate from the start and it includes raising the EU's ambition on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to at least 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 and is in...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The Department has put in place a process for dealing with forestry licensing applications requiring ecology input. A dedicated project plan, using a systematic approach to processing the backlog of licences requiring an appropriate assessment (AA), prioritises cases where the applicant submits a Natura Impact Statement (NIS). On receipt of a satisfactory NIS, the length of time it would...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I am acutely aware that current timescales for the determination and issue of forestry licences are not in line with expected norms. These delays have arisen because of significant changes introduced in the Department's appropriate assessment process, as a result of European Court of Justice cases and their subsequent interpretation by the courts and the Forestry Appeals Committee. My...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I very much appreciate that students in the agricultural colleges face financial challenges this year due to the impact of COVID 19. To assist those learners, Teagasc is proposing broadly similar measures to those recently announced by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in the wider education sector to support remote learning and to provide...

Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2020: Motion (1 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank everyone who contributed to the debate from different perspectives. I want to touch on the points made by Deputy Cairns on the comments she had to put up with, which were simply unacceptable. The Rásaíocht Con Éireann member who made those comments has apologised and withdrawn those comments. They were sexist and offensive. Deputy Cairns should not have had to...

Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2020: Motion (1 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2020, copies of which were laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on the 13th November, 2020.” An important part of Government policy is to ensure that the horse and greyhound racing industries achieve their maximum potential and, in so doing,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Supports (1 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The objective of the €75m Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) was to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. This aid was granted to provide temporary market adjustment support in response to a specific market disturbance as outlined in Ireland's...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Supports (1 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The objective of the €75m Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) was to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. This aid was granted to provide temporary market adjustment support in response to a specific market disturbance as outlined in Ireland's...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: European Council Meetings (1 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: At the most recent Informal Video-conference of Agri-Fish Ministers on 16 November, I took the opportunity to again raise concerns about the very negative impact that the EU-Mercosur agreement could have on Ireland’s beef sector. The inclusion of a significant Tariff Rate Quota for Mercosur beef in the final agreement underlines these economic concerns, and there are also very...