Results 381-400 of 7,216 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Let us simplify this a bit. If the result for soil comes out the first day as poor, and something else might be medium and else something good, under this directive, does that poor rating have to be brought up to favourable status by 2050?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Has anyone in the Department or a Minister stood back and looked at this? In fairness to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, I know it is not the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that has the lead on this issue. Am I right in saying it is the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and company in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications taking the lead here?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We are signing up to something here that down the road will bite us in the ass. If I lived in the Golden Vale, there would be no worries because of the soil type found there. It is different, though, if you live in Donegal, the west or the midlands and come from an area that has peaty soil. The same EU, as I said, gave grants for people to drain land. There is not a hope in God of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, but we do not have to. I am talking about a regional context.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Sorry, now. They are being looked after under CAP because food was subsidised. They are not being looked after under CAP for doing different things now with their land on top of the subsidisation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am shocked the Department is actually endorsing this directive. I am not surprised Eamon Ryan would because climate action will go with anything at the moment. The writing is on the wall if this is not nailed for the people with the soils of lesser quality. That is my opinion based on what has been stated today. I do not know what flexibility the witnesses are talking about. In my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Right. I will give Mr. Ryan an example.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If I can just have one second to make one point, I will give an example. It was not the Department that did this. It is Europe that is sending it in. From next August onwards, if I have land in under the single farm payment scheme or the basic income support for sustainability, BISS, scheme, and it is of a peaty nature, in the context where I sign my single farm payment claim. I want to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It is for scheduling in August, is it not?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes. I am not saying it is the witnesses' responsibility. In fairness, our Department had no say worth a damn because it came from Europe. I am not blaming the witnesses or their Department in any way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We need to watch the directives coming in. We had the habitats directive and the water framework directive and we will have this soils directive and a nature restoration directive as well. If we do not watch tight, we are going to leave farmers in marginal land looking at a theme park, rather than farming.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: From watching the NRL my understanding is if the Commission fell when the countries were not as far as voting and it was at a certain point - and I do not know what that point is - in the directive it sort of comes in again where it was at to start negotiating again. It was stated that member states have set out their concerns or pros and cons on it. What have we set out from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What does Mr. Medlycott mean by that? Will he explain the finance part of it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am sorry for homing in on it, but can Mr. Medlycott explain that? Obviously, 4 million ha are owned by private individuals. Is he saying there is money required and that it will be compulsory?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is the sampling part. If soil quality has to be improved, who pays for that and is it voluntary? The State does not own the land of Ireland; the farmers own it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It is privately-owned land. Will this directive be applicable to that land?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Just a second now, I cannot get this into my head. If the officials are going in and saying to a farmer that they are sampling the land to look at the soil quality and this could be detrimental for him down the road, he will show them the gate. Will the officials explain whether this is voluntary? Is it going to be explained to farmers that officials are coming in to look at their land and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Will there be fines like with the habitats directive if a farmer does not bring it to favourable status, have a management plan and do X, Y and Z?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Where are we? When Mr. Medlycott says we are at the early stage-----