Results 421-440 of 1,040,221 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Hildegarde Naughton OR speaker:Darren O'Rourke)

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Cathal Crowe: There are 8,000 farm families in County Clare and 85% of those families are involved in the suckler beef enterprise. I am one of those. County Clare is the heartland of the suckler system. Ennis mart and Sixmilebridge mart on Saturdays or mid-week are teeming with families and farmers bringing their cattle through the system. It will be very busy this winter with weanlings. The ACRES...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: We have issued 35,000 scorecards so far. It is important farmers get that so they can look to improve their scores in future years. Farmers do not know how they will score until they get the scorecard. That is a change from previous schemes. The average payments of €5,200 for the co-operation and €5,100 for the general are on track and where we expected them to be, but there...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Cathal Crowe: The whole point of the scorecard is to lead farmers to make informed decisions around their NPI. Many farmers, including myself, are being contacted by farm planners. They are giving us the menu of options and most of us are standing back because we do not have a scorecard and are not sure what we are doing. Should we go off and invest this if it will not change things materially? It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Probate is always an issue and will always, unfortunately, hold up a payment. Probate has to be completed because there has to be legal certainty as to who the payment is made to after a death. That can always be challenged during the probate process so the Department has to have that certainty. That is an issue we cannot resolve but will try to work through, being as supportive as we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Cathal Crowe: Will you backdate it?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The score informs the payment. Where a farmer gets the full payment, it is based on the score and only occurs when the score is finalised. On giving farmers approval for NPIs, every farmer in the co-operation scheme has €17,500 available to spend over the course of ACRES to take steps which will see improvements in the scores at farm level. That €17,500 is still available to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Agriculture Schemes

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: 60. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the challenges with the ACRES scheme, and the repayments that farmers are being requested to repay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38143/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: I ask the Minister his views on the challenges with ACRES and the repayments farmers are being requested to make. Go raibh maith agat.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. We have discussed it in a fair bit of detail. In terms of uptake, we have had 55,000 farmers apply. The Government has intervened to make sure every farmer who applied got approval and was taken into it when they applied. We had 46,000 applications in tranche 1. We had projected that 30,000 would apply but we intervened to accept all 46,000 applications. About 10,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Pending the registrations and preparations being put in place, the plan is that we will see the first intake of students in the south east, at Waterford and Kildalton, in September 2026, just under two years away. The recruitment and the scaling up of the accommodation and infrastructure that need to be put in place will happen between now and then, although that is not far away. From that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (26 Sep 2024)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I was at the ploughing championships when the announcement was made and a large number of families and students came to ask about this course. As the Minister said, many students left the country to study veterinary but now that we have this course, there are extra places in the south east, and I am only focusing on the south east. Information should be given to students when they are doing...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I have no doubt that South East Technological University and Kildalton will make all of the information known and it will become part of the course options available to young students as they complete their leaving certificate. It is an exciting opportunity and it is great to see it happening in a local area. It is prohibitively expensive for young people to go abroad to pursue their...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Food Safety

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Bernard Durkan: 58. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that adequate husbandry and production throughout the food chain, including standards at abattoirs, remains at the highest level, in keeping with EU and national standards; if he is satisfied that best practice continues in all instances, without exception; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38137/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Bernard Durkan: The question seeks to ascertain the extent to which production, husbandry, slaughtering and checking facilities continue to prevail throughout all areas of the agri-food business sector and that the same standards are applied to food imports for the home market as well as exports.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The value of Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture exports was almost €16.3 billion last year. Agri-food products emanate from every county in the country and we are now exporting to 180 markets and countries around the globe. The fact that our agri-food products are sought after worldwide is a testament to the high standards that apply and the good reputation that Ireland...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Bernard Durkan: Given that we have had a couple of glitches in the past, including the recent past, in the standards that should have applied at abattoirs throughout the European Union, including in this country, is the Minister satisfied that all abattoirs and all areas where food products are prepared are sufficiently alerted to the necessity to keep to the highest possible standards? The Minister...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: That is critical. I thank the Deputy for putting this on the agenda of the Dáil today. Auditing and regular day-to-day oversight and inspection are crucial to confidence in our food sector. Anywhere where something is identified that is not compliant, it is immediately followed up and taken very seriously. We have put significant staffing resources into this, as well as robust checks...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I will also mention the existence previously of so-called horse burgers. Have they been eliminated from the food chain? Is the Minister satisfied that no opportunity exists for anybody to bypass the system? The standards that are applicable here also apply to food imports into this country, particularly from third countries. Is the Minister satisfied that the level of inspection is...