Results 15,481-15,500 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007-13 and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before the first payments issue. The first payments for 2008 REPS 4 applications issued in the last week of January to those whose applications required no correction following the administrative checks....
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007-13 and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before the first payments issue. The first payments for 2008 REPS 4 applications issued in the last week of January to those whose applications required no correction following the administrative checks....
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The person concerned is an applicant for grant-aid under the Farm Waste Management Scheme. My Department is currently examining the application and a decision will be made as soon as possible.
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: Payment of â¬80 in respect of one animal was issued to the person named on 14 November 2008. One other calf will not qualify for payment as it was registered outside the statutory requirement of 27 days from the date of birth. A letter in the matter issued on 10 February 2009. Eight other calves showed errors on the animal event dates. These have now been resolved and payment will issue...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: My Department has no record of an application for REPS 4 from the person named. A REPS 3 payment application was received from him and it will be processed within the period set out in the current Charter of Rights for Farmers.
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The arrangements for payment of grants under the Farm Waste Management Scheme on a phased basis have now been confirmed with 40 per cent being paid this year as claims are approved. A further 40 per cent will be paid in early January 2010 and the remaining 20 per cent in January 2011. Payment of the initial 40 per cent to farmers will be made as expeditiously as possible.
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007-13 and is subject to EU Regulations which require the completion of detailed administrative checks on all applications. Payments are currently issuing to REPS 4 applicants whose applications required no correction following the administrative checks. Further payments will be made as applications are cleared.
- Order of Business (12 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: When Fine Gael was in office in the 1980s there were not too many schemes in evidence.
- Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The Minister for Health & Children has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation. Under the general labelling Directive (2000/13/EC), the place of origin of the foodstuff must be given only if its absence might mislead the consumer to a material degree. The European Commission is currently undertaking a major review of all food labelling legislation. In this context...
- Written Answers — Dairy Sector: Dairy Sector (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The dairy sector is facing a period of market volatility across the globe at present resulting from supply/demand disequilibrium in international markets. Having reached record high levels in 2007 and early 2008, dairy product prices and producer prices also peaked in that time. Since then international dairy product prices have fallen back considerably, although the average Irish producer...
- Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The Young Farmers' Installation Scheme and the Early Retirement Scheme were suspended for new applications on 14 October 2008 due to budgetary constraints. Applications for these schemes received in my Department since 14 October 2008 have not been processed.
- Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The sheep sector already benefits significantly from the main schemes operated by my Department. Sheep farmers receive an estimated annual: â¬126 million from the Single Farm Payment, â¬60 million under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and â¬84 million under REPS. In addition to this support and following the Sheep Strategy Report, a number of other measures have also been put in place to...
- Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The Minister for Health & Children has overall responsibility for the general food labelling legislation. Under the general labelling Directive (2000/13/EC), the place of origin of the foodstuff must be given only if its absence might mislead the consumer to a material degree. The European Commission is currently undertaking a major review of all food labelling legislation. In this context...
- Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: In general, Ireland's national herd covering all farm species meets very high health standards and very good progress has been made in recent years in dealing with regulated diseases such as BSE and Brucellosis. However, less progress has been made in relation to non- regulated diseases. While the losses to agriculture arising from these latter diseases vary from farm to farm and are not...
- Written Answers — Fishing Quota: Fishing Quota (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The representatives of the polyvalent (multi-purpose) vessels in the Irish fleet sought an increased share of Ireland's mackerel quota for 2009, while the representatives of the Refrigerated Salt Water (RSW) fleet, based in the north-west opposed any increase in the share for the polyvalent vessels. The background to the situation is that the allocation arrangements were last revised in...
- Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: I am keenly aware of the problems encountered by farmers as a consequence of the bad weather, particularly the harvesting of forage and cereal crops in 2008. In recognition of these problems, I wrote to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Ms Fischer Boel, seeking approval for the early payment of the 2008 Single Payment. My request was for advance payment at a rate of 50%,...
- Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: A good deal of work has been undertaken on drafting the Animal Health and Welfare Bill which gives effect to a number of commitments in the area of animal health and welfare contained in the Programme for Government. In particular, the Bill will amend and consolidate previous legislation to reflect the changed disease status of our animals and update existing legislation, to ensure that the...
- Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: The new REPS 4 scheme allows grassland farmers to apply for REPS even if they are operating above the general limit of 170 kgs of organic nitrogen per hectare laid down in the Nitrates Directive, provided that they apply for a nitrates derogation. In 2008, 603 REPS 4 farmers applied for a derogation. I welcome the fact that more intensive farmers are joining REPS, as it means that our most...
- Written Answers — Foreshore Licences: Foreshore Licences (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: Following confirmation by the Valuation Office that it would not be in a position to supply a valuation service in respect of activities on State foreshore, my Department sought approval from the Department of Finance for the use of valuers from the private sector. A number of applications for foreshore consents currently on hand cannot be progressed without valuation. The Department of...
- Written Answers — Common Agricultural Policy: Common Agricultural Policy (11 Feb 2009)
Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 89 together. A first policy debate on the future of the CAP after 2013 took place at the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Annecy in September last. In the initial debate, there was general agreement on the global context in which policy thinking must be developed. All the ministers present were concerned about global food security,...