Results 13,301-13,320 of 18,482 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Live Exports: Live Exports (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The live export trade is an important component of our meat and livestock industry and provides a complement to the beef trade. Overall live exports in 2009 increased by 94% on 2008 levels. In the same period, exports to the UK increased by 159%, with those to Great Britain increasing by 440% and those to other destinations by 74%. While the purchasing policy of UK meat plants is a commercial...

Written Answers — Land Values: Land Values (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: A recent report by Independent global property consultants Knight Frank Ireland shows that farmland prices declined significantly countrywide, but the most significant decline was in the Dublin/Kildare/Wicklow region, where average prices dropped by 56.6%. The average price paid per acre in this premier region in 2009 was €10,920 down from the previous year's €25,210. The substantial...

Written Answers — Grocery Industry: Grocery Industry (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: As signalled by the Tánaiste, the intention is to implement a national Code of Practice for doing business in the Grocery Goods sector with a view to ensuring a fair trading relationship between retailers and their suppliers. The code will be initially on a voluntary basis. The EU Commission has also issued a Communication on a better functioning food supply chain in Europe. As I said at...

Written Answers — Fishing Quota: Fishing Quota (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 135 together. A final decision on the mackerel quotas was predicated on the outcome of the EU Norway negotiations which concluded with an agreement yesterday evening. Indications are that a Commission non-paper will be presented shortly to the Council working group on Fisheries followed with a formal proposal to the same body soon after. The proposal...

Written Answers — Crop Losses: Crop Losses (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I am aware that due to very wet conditions in November 2009 a proportion of the total national area of potatoes remained unharvested at the end of the year. Since Christmas Ireland has experienced very severe frost conditions which have resulted in losses to potatoes. The extent of losses is difficult to quantify at this stage. It would be influenced by location and the extent to which the...

Written Answers — Beef Industry: Beef Industry (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department has no plans to introduce specific initiatives to encourage bull beef production over other systems of beef production. It is a matter for the processing industry, in responding to market demands for bull beef, or any other specialised form of beef production, to provide a sufficient level of price incentive to such producers.

Written Answers — Crop Losses: Crop Losses (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I am aware that due to very wet conditions in November 2009 a proportion of the total national area of potatoes remained unharvested at the end of the year. Since Christmas Ireland has experienced very severe frost conditions which have resulted in losses to potatoes. The extent of losses is difficult to quantify at this stage. It would be influenced by location and the extent to which the...

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The amended Rural Development Programme which included proposals for the new agri-environment scheme, was agreed by the EU's Rural Development Management Committee on 20 January and I hope to secure formal approval from the European Commission for the scheme in the next few weeks. The new scheme will focus on the priority objectives of biodiversity, climate change and water management. The...

Written Answers — Provision of Allotments: Provision of Allotments (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Acquisition of Land (Allotments) Act 1926 enables local authorities to let allotments in urban areas to an individual for the specific purpose of cultivating vegetables mainly for consumption by that individual "or his family", if that local authority is satisfied that a demand exists. The Act comes entirely within the remit of the Minister for Environment and Local Government and I have...

Written Answers — Fishing Industry: Fishing Industry (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Ombudsman's staff examine complaints concerning the administrative actions of all Government Departments including my own. Consequently, I do not see the necessity for a distinct Ombudsman for fisheries at this time.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The first payments for the 2009 scheme year issued on 18 December 2009, and payments have continued to issue in the meantime. To date, 9,823 REPS 4 participants have been paid in full. A further 4,508 have received the first phase of 75% of their payments and are due to receive the balance shortly. Payments will issue this week to approximately 1,300 participants. My Department continues...

Written Answers — Common Agricultural Policy: Common Agricultural Policy (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: My overarching view is that future EU agricultural policy must adhere closely to the original objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy as set out in the Treaty of Rome and reiterated in the Lisbon Treaty. It must contain elements that protect farmers' incomes and thus maintain family farming in Europe. It also needs to ensure security of food supply and the delivery of quality products...

Written Answers — Dairy Sector: Dairy Sector (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: The EU dairy fund was part of a package of measures agreed at the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers last October. The Commission made available a fund of €300 million to support dairy farmers across the EU who were severely affected by the fall in prices. Each Member State's share was calculated based on their milk production in the 2008/2009 year within national quotas, and...

Written Answers — Food Security: Food Security (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: Currently 1 billion people in the world are food insecure. This is an ongoing tragedy, which was made worse by global food price rises in 2008. People need safe, nutritious, affordable food. Across the globe, countries need to sustainably increase agriculture production to improve food availability and most importantly locally resilient food systems must increase access for the poor and...

Written Answers — Sheep Sector: Sheep Sector (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 168 together. I am mindful of the particular difficulties being experienced by the Irish sheep sector and I decided late last year on a two-fold approach to address the situation. In the first instance, I decided to allocate approximately €7 million from the Single Payment National Reserve to 14,000 sheep farmers, these being the only funds to which...

Written Answers — Road Repairs: Road Repairs (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: Repair works to drain water from public roads are the responsibility of the Local Authorities, who are under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Written Answers — Agri-Food Industry: Agri-Food Industry (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 187 together. For some months now, my Department has been working on the development of a new strategy for the period up to 2020 to ensure that the full potential of the agri-food and fishing sector is realised, as economic recovery proceeds. The preparatory work for this strategy is at an advanced stage as the Department in conjunction with relevant...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos.148 and 161 together. The first and second instalments of 40% under the farm waste management scheme have been paid or authorised for payment to all farmers who have been approved for payment under the scheme, to date. In the case of the second instalment of grant-aid paid to farmers under the scheme, this amounts to €239.6 million. The final instalment of...

Written Answers — Common Fisheries Policy: Common Fisheries Policy (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 149 and 171 together. The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the European Union which was first put in place in 1983 and has been subject to reviews every ten years, the most recent in 2002 and the next is formally scheduled for 2012. I welcome the Commissions Green Paper on the reform of the CFP and acknowledge the importance of the...

Written Answers — Dairy Sector: Dairy Sector (27 Jan 2010)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 169 together. The EU Commission set up the high level expert group on milk last October, following a special Council of Ministers meeting where we had a thorough discussion on the need for measures to manage the dairy market in the period up to and beyond quota abolition in 2015. The group is being chaired by the Commission's Director General of...