Results 13,761-13,780 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Pesticide Control: Pesticide Control (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, has overall responsibility for matters within the competence of the Environment Council. The proposals being developed by the Commission on sustainable use of plant protection products follow from the Sixth Environmental Action Programme and are being developed following detailed consultation with interested...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: As provided in the National Development Plan 2000-2006, the main objectives of the food institutional research measure, FIRM, are to provide a base of information and expertise in generic technologies that supports innovation and product development in the food industry, and assists consumer protection by ensuring that product development is underpinned by attention to food safety and...

Written Answers — Beef Exports: Beef Exports (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Under the CAP, decoupling arrangements for direct payments, farmers can for the first time in many decades, now focus more clearly on the market-related element of their incomes, confident that the single payment will provide an assured income stream. This will create a significant incentive towards quality production with producer-processor relationships the key. In such a context there will...

Written Answers — Farm Accidents: Farm Accidents (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 159 together. I am very concerned about the level of safety on our farms and I support wholeheartedly the work of the Health and Safety Authority which is the State authority charged with overall responsibility for promotion of workplace health and safety. The authority has a proactive inspection and enforcement programme which focuses on high risk...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. In October 2004, Ireland submitted proposals for a derogation from the general organic nitrogen limit of 170 kg per hectare per annum laid down in the nitrates directive. The proposal was designed to allow farmers to operate, under appropriate...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: While Ireland has a greater percentage of younger farmers less than 35 years of age at 11%, compared to the EU average of 8%, the Government, in recognition of the importance of attracting young farmers into agriculture, has put in place a range of incentives as follows. Regarding installation aid, under the installation aid scheme operated by my Department, a grant of €9,523 is available...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I take every opportunity available to me to promote Irish lamb. Bord Bia, which has specific responsibility in this regard, carries out regular campaigns at home and abroad. This year these included a promotion of new season lamb on the Irish market which commenced on 16 May and extended to the end of June. Bord Bia also undertook a campaign on the important French market over the summer...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: There has been excellent progress in establishing farmers markets and over 85 farmers' markets are operating in 22 locations throughout the country. These markets encourage local produce, assist start-ups of new businesses and create local employment and their growth reflects changing consumer preferences for fresh locally produced foods. They give producers an opportunity to meet and sell...

Written Answers — Energy Resources: Energy Resources (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos 163, 189 and 211 together. Promotion and development of renewable energy, including biofuels, in Ireland are matters in the first instance for the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. As matters stand, Irish Sugar Limited has arrangements in place to process the full Irish sugar quota at its Mallow plant, which has been upgraded for that...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The 2004 annual report detailed progress in relation to my Department's goal and strategies contained in its fourth statement of strategy, published in 2003, as well as complying with legal requirements to report on the operation of the Land Acts and the Prompt Payment of Accounts Act 1997. The report provides comprehensive information on the activities of my Department in 2004, and some of...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Food Agency Co-operation Council has met on 20 occasions since its inception in 2000. The council did not meet in 2004 as a number of factors contributed to the difficulties in rescheduling meetings that year. The council has played a significant role in increasing co-operation between the State agencies involved in the food industry and has led to a number of memorandums of...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Since January 2005, under the Department's active surveillance programme, some 17,900 sheep were rapid tested for scrapie at meat factories and knackeries. This programme, together with the reporting of suspect animals, led to the identification of 18 new flocks with the disease. For sheep which are depopulated, compensation payable includes live valuation of the breeding animals and payment...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Ireland's national action programme under the nitrates directive was formally submitted to the European Commission by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on 29 July 2005. The next step is for the Minister for the...

Written Answers — Timber Imports: Timber Imports (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Ireland fully supports the commitment made by the European Union at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, to form an EU action plan for forest law enforcement, governance and trade, FLEGT, in order to combat the importation of illegally felled timber into the European Union. Illegal logging is a major contributor to environmental damage in developing countries and is closely...

Written Answers — Sugar Industry: Sugar Industry (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I have made it clear that the Commission's proposals for reform of the EU sugar regime, which were published on 22 June, are unacceptable in their present form. The key elements of the proposals are a 39% price cut in the institutional price for sugar, a corresponding reduction in the minimum price for sugar beet and 60% compensation to farmers for the price cut. A voluntary restructuring...

Written Answers — Sugar Industry: Sugar Industry (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Under the EU sugar regime, each member state has a quota for manufactured sugar. There is no quota for sugar beet. The EU regulations stipulate that the quota must be made available to the sugar manufacturing enterprises in the member state. Accordingly, in Ireland the entire sugar quota is processed by Irish Sugar Ltd. which is the only sugar manufacturer in this country. Irish Sugar Ltd....

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Progress has been reasonably satisfactory this year to date and I expect planting levels to be about the same as last year, in the region of 11,000 hectares. I would like more to have been planted but I accept that farmers have had to consider their options with the introduction of the new single payment regime, the nitrates situation and the revised REP scheme. I hope that, as the new...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Scientific Study on Children's Diet was co-funded by my Department and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and was the first study to benchmark dietary intakes of a nationally representative sample of Irish children. The work was carried out by researchers in Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork who surveyed 600 children aged between five and 12 years from primary schools...

Written Answers — Bovine Diseases: Bovine Diseases (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The incidence of brucellosis has fallen very significantly since 1998 with the number of laboratory positives falling from 6,417 in 1998 to 664 in 2004. This represents a 90% reduction in disease levels in that period. The total number of animals slaughtered per annum under the eradication programme fell from 29,778 to 6,195 during the same period. Further progress has been made this year. Up...

Written Answers — Live Exports: Live Exports (4 Oct 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The number of sheep exported live from Ireland in recent years has increased from approximately 35,000 head in 2003 to 58,000 head in 2004, with a figure of 65,000 head having been exported to date in 2005. This compares to a total of 3.25 million sheep slaughtered at approved export plants in 2004. The export trade in live sheep consists in the main of animals destined for slaughter in...