Results 13,801-13,820 of 23,967 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 874 and 876 together. The indicative allocation for the TAMS II scheme over the course of the Rural Development Programme is €395 million. To date, 42,469 applications for TAMS grants ##have been submitted to the Department and €240 million has been paid across all available schemes. 22,565 farmers have submitted applications to TAMS II. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Scheme Applications (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Officials from my Department have been in direct contact with the person named and his agent in relation to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application submitted on 15 May 2019. The outstanding land issues in relation to this BPS application have now been resolved. Matters relating to other linked applications can also now be progressed and will be finalised shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Bovine TB Forum Interim Report (published July 2019) identified the need to provide more effective information to farmers to help them reduce the risk of TB in their herd and advocated for the development of herd risk categories that are “simple, clear, and convey sufficient information to enable farmers to make the decisions appropriate to their situation”. In line with,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As required by Council Directive 21/2004, my Department undertakes a Sheep and Goat Census annually, generally at end-December. The number of breeding ewes by county as recorded in the census for 2018 and 2019 are included in the attached document. The document also details the number of goats recorded for the same period. The annual goat census records the number of milking goats and the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Last year, Ireland exported sheepmeat valued at €317 million. 71% of export value was to EU markets, 20% to the UK, and 9% to the rest of the world. Free movement of goods in the EU's Single Market in particular facilitates this free flow of trade and, of course, means that Ireland must be open to imports of live animals and food products from other parts of the Single Market. My...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Agreements (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has the lead role in considering trade deals and their impact on the Irish economy. My Department is liaising with the relevant officials in that Department in this regard and has raised queries with the European Commission in relation to its assessment of the impact of the deal on EU producers of lobster to ensure that the value of this...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Agreements (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Chair of the National Inshore Fisheries Forum has formally written to invite me to meet with the Forum which represents the the small scale coastal fleet for whom lobster is a key product. I look forward to meeting with the Forum at the earliest mutually convenient opportunity. In the meantime, my Department has recently provided the Forum with an update on Ireland's engagement to date...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Marketing Programme (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Bord Bia is the State Body charged with promotion and marketing of Irish food, drink and horticulture products. A total Grant sum is allocated annually to Bord Bia by my Department. For 2020, the total grant in aid is €48.2 million. The final sums allocated in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were €33.2m, €41.1m, €41.3m and €46.6m respectively. The grant...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Covid-19 Pandemic (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Myself, my predecessors and my officials have had regular meetings with Meat Industry Ireland, and indeed with the other food industry representatives, in the course of the pandemic. At all meetings, it was emphasised that Industry’s priority must be the safeguarding of human health and following HSE guidelines at all levels of operation. The first of these meetings was on 11 March and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Covid-19 Pandemic (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is contributing to the whole-of-Government response to managing outbreaks of Covid -19 in food plants. In the context of Covid-19, human health must be the absolute priority for all of us, and therefore it is vitally important that all our decisions and actions led by public health advice. My Department’s statutory responsibility in relation to meat processing...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: In April 2018, my Department started a review of the national response to Ash Dieback Disease as it was increasingly evident from experience and the latest scientific advice that eradication of Ash Dieback disease was no longer feasible. This included a stakeholder and public consultation period, detailed field consideration of damage level evaluation together with a broader range of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Retirement Scheme (22 Sep 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: Agriculture Scheme Data (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: In accordance with EU Regulation 1306/2013, my Department is obliged to ensure annual ex-post publication of all of the beneficiaries of CAP funding, both legal and non-legal persons. The database was published on 29thMay this year and is available on the Department’s website. I attach herewith a copy of the requested data, all of which can be sourced on the afore-mentioned database....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Inshore Fisheries (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Like many elements of Irish seafood, the lobster fishery relies on a healthy export market. BIM’s Business of Irish Seafood report, which is available online, values Irish lobster exports in 2019 at €15m and quantifies landings of 100 tonnes by the Irish Fishing Fleet in 2019. Lobster is a particularly important species for the inshore fishing fleet and is fished...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Inshore Fisheries (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy should be aware that China, as a third country, outside of the European Union, sets its own health standards for incoming food products and notifies the WTO of the standards in place. I understand that the Chinese authorities have recently launched a consultation on the health standards that will apply for crab as a food product and my Department is actively examining what the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Environmental Policy (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Teagasc considered bioenergy production including anaerobic digestion and biogas as part of its MACC report published in 2018 (see link below). There is currently research underway in Teagasc to optimise the biomass production for feed stocks that meet the sustainability criteria of the Renewable Energy Directive. In addition, Teagasc, in collaboration with NUI Galway, are also carrying out...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Environmental Policy (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department recognises the potential environmental benefits of using Anaernobic Digestion (AD), including climate mitigation, water quality and air quality. The AD industry in Ireland is at an early stage of development compared to the more established industry in many European countries. Potential for the growth of the AD sector in Ireland is strong but it should be seen as a long...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Environmental Policy (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 894 and 895 together. Indigenous renewable energy plays a vital role in our domestic fuel mix and will become even more important in the context of reducing our reliance on imported fuels and in meeting our challenging renewable energy targets for 2020 and 2030 and decarbonising our energy systems by 2050. My Department is committed to working...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Programme for Government commits the Government to “provide additional resources to monitor welfare standards, by increasing the veterinary presence available on all live export consignments to third countries”. You can be assured that my officials will be working on the implementation of this commitment on an ongoing basis. My Department continues to evaluate and modify...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (22 Sep 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The export of animals is a critical part of Ireland’s livestock industry. It plays a significant role in stimulating price competition and providing an alternative market outlet for farmers. My Department facilitates this trade, recognising its critical importance to the agri-sector, while ensuring that live animal exports meet the highest welfare standards. In 2019, the combined...