Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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406. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of the footage shared of pregnant cows who are being exported to Algeria for the first time (details supplied); if he agrees that forcing a pregnant animal to travel from Ireland to Algeria, with all of the known health risks, is a desperate compromise in welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5544/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I can confirm that a shipment of in-calf animals was recently exported from Ireland to Algeria on a dedicated livestock vessel.

It is important to emphasise that the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine only permits animals to be transported in compliance with the EU's animal welfare legislation, which is amongst the most progressive legal frameworks in the world. Furthermore, Ireland has national rules to protect the welfare of livestock being transported on dedicated livestock vessels, which lay down controls that are more stringent than EU rules, and which have been cited as an example of best practice by the European Commission to other Member States.

Each loading of livestock onto dedicated vessels for international transport is monitored and supervised by a team of experienced Department officials. The consignment referred to was supervised in this manner.

EU Regulation 1/2005 requires that prior to travel an animal must be deemed to be fit for the intended journey. The Regulation does specify that a pregnant animal for whom 90% or more of the expected gestation period has already passed is not considered to be fit for long distance transport. Thus, as part of the official certification process, veterinary inspectors assess each animal to ensure it meets the conditions for fitness to travel as laid down in the regulations. Animals which do not meet these conditions are not allowed to travel.

The Department is conscious of the need to ensure the welfare of the animals in transit and, as the regulator in this area, is satisfied that the systems in place in respect of the intra-community movement and extra-community movement of these animals are supportive of the welfare of the animals and in compliance with the relevant legislation. The Department continues to monitor and enforce compliance, to ensure the welfare of animals transported.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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407. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for the nutrient values ascribed to chicken litter in Ireland; and the reason that figure differs considerably from the value used in Britain and elsewhere.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5548/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The nutrient values for poultry manure, as stated in Tables 7 and 8 of the Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters (GAP) Regulations (S.I. No. 113 of 2022, as amended), cover litter/manure from egg producing birds (known as layers) and meat producing birds (known as broilers). The tables represent manures of varying dry matters and litter types. Both of these parameters have a significant influence on the nutrient content of poultry manure.

The figures in the GAP Regulations reflect the current manure values for poultry published in Teagasc’s “Green Book” titled Major and Micro Nutrient Advice for Productive Agricultural Crops which was last updated in 2020. The values published by Teagasc are derived from the most up to date research conducted on manure types.

Broiler production is the predominant sector within Ireland's poultry sector. A number of years ago and arising from concerns my Department had that nutrient values of Irish broiler manure were lower than those published for the United Kingdom, Teagasc undertook a research survey involving approximately 10% of broiler farmers in Ireland. Arising from the peer-reviewed findings coming from that research, the nutrient value in the GAP Regulations for broiler litter was updated from 11kg total Nitrogen per tonne to 28kg total Nitrogen per tonne. This value is considered to be in line with the data from other studies and as published in the 2023 UK’s Nutrient Management Guide (RB209).

New research would be required to determine if the current nutrient content values for other poultry manures require updating. However, on review of the published Irish figures compared to the UK’s RB209, based on the dry matter percentages of manures produced by layers and turkeys, the nutrient values are comparable and not significantly different.