Results 14,201-14,220 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Fur Farming: Fur Farming (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Fur farming is a legitimate farming activity in this country and is permitted in most member states of the EU. It is, of course, subject to general and specific legislative requirements. At a general level, the welfare and protection of farmed animals is subject to the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes Act 1984 and the European Communities (Protection of Animals kept for Farming...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department located 50 additional staff in Portlaoise as an initial step in decentralisation and to deal with work arising under the new single payment scheme. This brought the total number of staff in the office to over 200. Currently, work for another 60 staff is being transferred to Portlaoise and is being undertaken in the main by staff in that office who are being freed up as a result...

Written Answers — Beef Industry: Beef Industry (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I am seeking a solution to the problem of the special beef premium overshoot and will continue to do so with the European Commissioner. I have already raised the issue with the Commissioner on a number of occasions. My Department has also forwarded a detailed submission to the European Commission dealing with this matter. I am urging that appropriate measures be taken to alleviate the...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: European Council Regulation 1782/2003 governing the single payment scheme provides that each member state must set up a national reserve using between 1% and 3% of every individual farmer's entitlements. A single payment advisory group comprising representatives from the farming organisations, Teagasc and officials from my Department was set up to advise on the national reserve. Based on that...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The rate of pension payable under the 1994 scheme of early retirement from farming is the maximum amount provided for by the EU Council regulation under which the scheme was introduced. The regulation does not provide for indexation of payments. My Department's proposals for the current early retirement scheme, which commenced on 27 November 2000 and is one of the measures in the CAP rural...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has been aware, from an early stage in the negotiations leading to the introduction of the single payment scheme, of the possible implications for retired farmers who had leased their holdings. In so far as it has proved possible in the context of the EU regulations governing the single payment scheme and following lengthy discussions with the European Commission, provision has...

Written Answers — Single Payment Scheme: Single Payment Scheme (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I will decide shortly on the use of modulated funds and will then seek the necessary EU approval. In 2006, the use of such funds is confined to the measures in the CAP rural development plan — agri-environment, early retirement, compensatory allowances and forestry — and the new initiatives introduced as part of the CAP mid-term review — food quality, animal welfare, farm advisory...

Written Answers — World Trade Negotiations: World Trade Negotiations (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I discussed the WTO agriculture negotiations and Irish concerns relating thereto at a bilateral meeting with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development on 20 December 2004. The Council of Agriculture Ministers, which reviews the situation on a regular basis, discussed the developments in the negotiations at its meetings on 14 March and 26 April 2005, both of which I attended.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (25 May 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 last, Ireland submitted an action programme to the European Commission for further implementation of the nitrates directive. In December, the Commission conveyed its view that the action programme was not complete and did not comply...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, was established under the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act 1988. Its function under the Act is to provide research, training and advisory services for the agri-food sector. Teagasc is governed by an 11 member authority. The chairman and five ordinary members are appointed by the Minister and the remaining five members are...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The agreement on the mid-term review of Agenda 2000 reached at the Council of Agricultural Ministers on 26 June 2003 provided a financial envelope to each member state. The envelope of money granted to each member state under the EU regulations represents the average number of animals paid under the livestock premia schemes and the area paid under the arable aid scheme during the three year...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The report of the national task force on obesity directs two specific recommendations to my Department. These are: the Department of Agriculture and Food should review policies in partnership with other Government Departments to promote access to healthy food — such policies should encompass positive discrimination in the provision of grants and funding to local industry in favour of...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 91 together. Promotion and development of renewable energy in Ireland are matters in the first instance for the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. My Department is represented on the bioenergy strategy group established by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural resources to consider policy options and support...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The level of funding available to each member state under the single payment scheme has already been agreed under European Council Regulation 1782/2003. The amount available to Ireland in 2005, including the dairy premium, is €1.260 billion and this will increase to €1.322 billion as and from 2006 onwards. The envelope of money granted to each member state under the EU regulations...

Written Answers — Farm Household Incomes: Farm Household Incomes (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: As part of the agri-vision 2015 committee's report, an analysis of current and future farm viability levels was undertaken by FAPRI-Ireland. It defined viability using two criteria — where a farm has the capacity to remunerate family labour at the average agricultural wage and the capacity to provide an additional 5% return on non-land assets. Using these criteria, 28% of the 136,000 farms...

Written Answers — Horticulture Sector: Horticulture Sector (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: There are 18 potato inspectors and four district superintendents — supervisors — involved in potato certification activities, including the carrying out of checks to ensure that only certified seed or home certified basic seed has been planted.

Written Answers — Veterinary Medicines: Veterinary Medicines (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 86 and 98 together. My Department is currently engaged in drafting legislation to transpose EU Directive 2004/28, which is the new framework legislation governing the veterinary medicines regime across Europe. The deadline for transposition is 30 October 2005. The EU legislation includes a general provision that all veterinary medicines for food producing...

Written Answers — Horse Breeding: Horse Breeding (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I am aware that the Irish draught is an endangered breed of horse. My Department, in the context of co-ordinating and promoting the conservation and utilisation of genetic resources for food and agriculture, has funded four projects on the Irish Draught horse in recent years. In 2000, the department of animal science in UCD was funded to carry out a project, entitled The characterisation of...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: In 2004, 126 cases of BSE were confirmed compared with 182 in 2003 and 333 in 2002. There have been 27 cases to date in 2005, which represents a decrease of 57% on the number of cases, 63, discovered in the same period in 2004. The vast majority of these cases were in animals born prior to the introduction here of the additional controls in 1996 and 1997. The age profile of BSE cases as well...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: A group under the chairmanship of Dr. Crosby carried out a technical examination of costs arising following restocking with a particular category of sheep in the case of flockowners where the depopulations occurred during the initial scrapie depopulation regime. In total, some 100 flocks were depopulated under this phase and restocking was not permitted for a period of two years. Flockowners...