Results 1-20 of 4,297 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Tillage Sector: Statements (15 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: I welcome this debate also. It is very appropriate that we are having it. We had people from the tillage sector before the agriculture committee about two weeks ago. I made the point to one of them that in my part of the country, County Leitrim, the greatest amount of tillage, which people still talk about, was during the Emergency, when compulsory tillage was introduced by de Valera....

Reform of the Defective Concrete Redress Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (15 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: The motion today is supported by all the Opposition parties because they all recognise the huge difficulty for homeowners the length and breadth of the country in a number of counties, including Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Clare and a whole lot of others. Many of the people who produced the concrete products shared them with other quarries and other providers. In many places, we will find that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Trade Agreements (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: I will ask one short supplementary question in that regard. One of the key problems with Mercosur is that we are bringing product into Europe that does not meet the same standards as European farmers have to meet, and are happy to meet because of the high quality of the product we have in this country. Is it true that, as part of the deal, the European Union will pay Mercosur countries...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Forestry Sector (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: I will not.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: I welcome the movement and commitment to deal with bovine TB and the huge problem it is throughout the length and breadth of the country. A lot of family farms are locked up and there is a whole crisis around that. I gave an example last week, or maybe earlier this week, of a farmer who had written to me. He had seven cattle who went down with TB. The compensation was based on 2023...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: Compensation has to be key.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Meetings (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: While I agree, at the same time, we need to recognise - I brought this point up at a meeting in Brussels recently attended by Commissioner Hansen - that this has the difficulty of undermining people's confidence in the EU itself. The vast majority of people across the length and breadth of this country have done well out of the European Union, as have the vast majority of farmers from the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: 92. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on his plans to implement the recommendations in the report for generational renewal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54990/25]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: I will get straight to it. I ask the Minister about generational renewal, the implementation of the report on this issue, and if he will make a statement on the issue. Recommendations in this regard were announced during the ploughing championships and people want certainty on it. One of the biggest issues we hear about when we talk to farmers is what the future will hold and if future...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: As I said, we are all conscious of this issue. At the moment, I think 4.3% of farmers are aged under 35. The average age is 60 in Irish agriculture, so there is a clear problem here. It has often been the case that the people who take over the farm subsequently go off and get a job, work away from the farm for a while and then maybe come back in mid-life and take over the farm. That has...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: I am referring to new stuff.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: We recognise all that. The difficulty I have is that in the past we had a legacy where young farmers were let down. We have had the forgotten farmers and all that before. It still has not been fully dealt with. I would, of course, say that from my side of the House. We need to ensure we do not create a situation where anything like this happens again. We need firm commitments to young...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Meetings (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: 90. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on his recent meetings with his EU counterparts in relation to the next CAP at the AGRIFISH Council meeting in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54989/25]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Meetings (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: I want to ask about the CAP negotiations, the recent meetings the Minister has had with his EU counterparts on the progress we hope to see that will result in a new CAP being put in place in the next couple of years, and what it will mean for Irish farmers. As the Minister is aware, there is considerable concern over the extent of the cuts. The CAP is vital to ensuring Irish farmers have a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Meetings (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: We are all very conscious of the proposal on the table whereby we face a 22% cut in respect of the CAP. That will have a very serious effect on Irish agriculture in addition to the entire food sector and farm families. The vast majority of our food is produced by small farm families the length and breadth of the country who depend on their CAP payments to remain sustainable. We have had...

Cost of Disability: Motion [Private Members] (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: Speaking at the launch of the five-year national human rights strategy for disabled people in Ireland, the Taoiseach said it was a "landmark moment for the advancement of disability rights in Ireland." Last week, with the budget, the Government cut vital cost-of-living supports for people with disabilities. This amounts to a €1,400 drop in income for people with disabilities across...

Housing Finance Agency (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: This legislation comes in the context of a severe housing crisis across the country not just now but for almost the past decade, people have been trying to find a home with little success, unfortunately. The Housing Finance Agency is about providing money for local authorities and other agencies such as approved housing bodies, etc., to build houses and for higher education authorities. It...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: 120. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the TB eradication plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54998/25]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Agreements (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: 139. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide clarity on the safeguards for Irish farmers from being impacted by the Mercosur trade deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54997/25]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (14 Oct 2025)

Martin Kenny: 725. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the breakdown of the cost of non-productive investments in ACRES applied for, approved, claims submitted and payment made to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54608/25]