Results 17,221-17,240 of 18,372 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Agricultural production in Ireland and the EU must be viewed in the context of a reformed and evolving Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with much more competitive EU and world commodity markets. As a result of the reformed CAP farmers can now take advantage of the freedom to farm exclusively for the market. They can focus on meeting the requirements of the consumer in a competitive manner....

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The Irish food and beverages sector currently export over €8 billion, of which prepared consumer foods and seafood amounts to over €2 billion. Some 70% of food is exported to EU markets, with the UK receiving 48%. In addition to health and well-being, and taste or quality, convenience is a significant driver in the very competitive consumer foods market and customers demand products that...

Written Answers — Pigmeat Sector: Pigmeat Sector (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am aware of the current issues facing the pigmeat sector. Feed costs have no doubt become a major factor in the past year. In line with the general increases in prices of commodities world wide, the price of certain imported feed materials has increased by as much as 80%. This has resulted in compound feed prices that are 30% ahead than at the same time last year. Increased cereal...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Responsibility for enforcement of labelling legislation rests with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) through its service contracts with my Department, the Sea Fisheries Protection Agency, the Health Services Executive, the Local Authorities and the National Consumer Agency. As far as my Department is concerned labelling checks are carried out as part of the routine official checks...

Written Answers — : (1 Jul 2008)

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. EU beef labelling legislation requiring country of origin labelling of beef has been in place since September 2000....

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, substantial funding of circa €50 million has been included to assist producers of fruit and vegetables to upgrade or develop new production facilities. The scheme of investment aid for the commercial horticulture sector will assist capital investment on farms to promote the specialisation and diversification of on-farm activities, improve the...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The 2007-2013 Early Retirement Scheme was launched on 13 June 2007. A total of 176 cases have been approved for payment under this Scheme and a further 131 cases are currently being processed by my Department.

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: All tree species grant-aided by my Department under the forestry grant schemes achieve high levels of carbon-sequestration. The potential of different tree species to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere depends mainly on their rate of growth. Some conifer species grow rapidly and will begin to sequester considerable amounts of carbon early in their life. Other species, including...

Written Answers — Sectoral Development: Sectoral Development (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 402 and 413 together. There are in place a number of strategic plans operated by my Department which have the overall objective of developing and enhancing the capacity and competitiveness of the agriculture, food, forestry and fishing sectors. These include the Agri Vision 2015 Action Plan, the relevant commitments in Towards 2016, the National Development...

Written Answers — Farming Sector: Farming Sector (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The most recent figures available from the Central Statistics Office are for the year 2005 and these show that there were 73,500 farmers whose sole occupation was farming or 56% of the total, this compares with a figure of 49,300 for 1997 (figure for 1998 is not available). Over this period the number of farmers with another either major or subsidiary occupation rose from 49,300 to 58,900....

Written Answers — Farming Sector: Farming Sector (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Official data on deer farming is available from the Census of Agriculture which is carried out by the Central Statistics Office roughly every ten years. The first and so far only Census of Agriculture that included deer was in June 2000. This stated that there were farmed deer on 266 farms. Teagasc has estimated that the number of farms involved in deer production peaked in the mid 1990s at...

Written Answers — Dairy Exports: Dairy Exports (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Ireland has been successful in building EU and world market trade over a sustained period. This has been supported by consistent efforts to promote and market Ireland's dairy produce in these markets by Irish operators. Over 80% of Irish dairy production is exported to EU and world markets. 2007 was another successful year for the Irish Dairy Sector with exports up 13% to €2.36bn. This...

Written Answers — Meat Exports: Meat Exports (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The following chart sets out the number of countries to which Irish beef, pigmeat and lamb are exported: 2000 2007 Beef 56 36 Pigmeat 51 43 Sheepmeat 14 19 Beef The distribution of Irish beef exports has undergone significant change since 2000. Irish exports have gone from a position where only 50% of exports went to other European markets in 2000 to 97% in 2007. The principal...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 407 and 408 together. The area devoted to energy crops increased from 137 hectares in 2003 to just over 9,000 hectares in 2007. The varieties of energy crops sown to date are Oilseed Rape, Miscanthus, Willow, Oats and Wheat. A figure for the number of hectares planted under energy crops in 2008 is not yet available. This figure will be forwarded directly to...

Written Answers — Sugar Beet Industry: Sugar Beet Industry (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: As part of the EU sugar reform package diversification aid worth €44m approximately to Ireland was made available. The main objective of this aid was to provide funding towards the cost of establishing alternative farming enterprises by the former beet growers and thus assist these farmers to earn a replacement income and contribute to the viability of the wider rural economy of the former...

Written Answers — Food Safety Standards: Food Safety Standards (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: The placing of animal products on to the market for human consumption must be in accordance the provisions of the European Communities Food Law applying at all stages of the production, processing and distribution of food, including importation. It is the responsibility of Food Business Operators under this legislation to ensure food of animal origin, such as beef, they place on to the market...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: A Scheme of Investment Aid for Demonstration On-Farm Waste Processing Facilities was introduced by my Department in June 2006 under the aegis of the 2000-2006 National Development Plan. In 2007, grant-aid was made available under the Scheme for the development of ten on-farm anaerobic digestion facilities. In accordance with the standard practice under my Department's on-farm investment...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: Agreement on the Financial Perspectives of the EU for the period 2007-2013 was reached in the European Council in Brussels in December 2005. The main elements of the European Council's decision insofar as agriculture and rural development are concerned were to confirm budgetary allocations representing funding of €320 billion in current prices to pillar 1 of the CAP in the period to 2013,...

Written Answers — Sectoral Development: Sectoral Development (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: As outlined to the Deputy in a reply on 21st February, plans for the development of the agrifood sector are set out in the AgriVision 2015 Action Plan, the Programme for Government, the National Development Plan and the Rural Development Plan. The AgriVision Action Plan was the Government's response to the seminal Report of the AgriVision 2015 Committee on what needed to be done to secure...

Written Answers — Aquaculture Industry: Aquaculture Industry (1 Jul 2008)

Brendan Smith: My Department has under consideration an application for an aquaculture licence in respect of 3 sites in the Kenmare River area from the CoOp in question. A number of letters of objection to this application have been received in my Department recently. My Department has accordingly written to the CoOp requesting its comments on the issues raised by the objectors. When a response is...