Terence Flanagan
Question:134. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for Howth Harbour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6676/15]
Other Questions
Harbours and Piers Development
My question concerns the Minister's plans for Howth Harbour which is a fishery harbour, as well as containing marine, leisure and tourism facilities.
I thank the Deputy for this question. I know that he is interested in Howth Harbour. Howth fishery harbour centre is one of the six designated fishery harbour centres owned, managed and maintained by my Department. All six fishery centres are, first and foremost, working fishery harbours. However, each centre has unique features, facilitating a broad range of other diverse activities which are important from both an economic and social perspective. This is particularly the case in Howth Harbour which offers multiple uses. My Department is conscious of the importance of both fishing and non-fishing activities at the harbours and endeavours to facilitate and develop both. This involves day-to-day operational support by harbour staff and management and the development and repair of infrastructure, subject to available financial resources.
Howth fishery harbour centre is no exception to this diversity. While, first and foremost, a working fishery harbour, my Department is conscious that it is also a very important tourist destination and a major venue for leisure activities. A wide range of recreational users rely on the harbour, including the yacht club, sport fishermen, walkers, tourists and other social users. A significant number of businesses, particularly restaurants, also operate in the harbour. With this in mind, the Department is anxious to increase the profile of the harbour for the betterment of the wider community.
Notwithstanding the prevailing economic environment in which we operate, I am happy to advise the House that in excess of €3.2 million has been invested in maintenance, development and upgrading works at Howth Harbour as part of my Department's fishery harbour and coastal infrastructure development programme for 2011 to 2013. This investment has resulted in a significant improvement in the electrical infrastructure available, the traffic management system and the access available to persons of reduced mobility. It has also served as a catalyst for the enhancement of facilities available to the marine leisure and tourism sector, boat repair facilities and indeed business generally in the harbour. In March 2014, I approved funding of €1.18 million for the maintenance and development of Howth Harbour.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Major works for 2014 included the continued upgrading of the electrical system.
The fishery harbour and coastal infrastructure development programme for 2015 is currently under consideration. Decisions on the projects for inclusion under this programme will be based on an evaluation of the priorities across the six fishery harbour centres taking due account of the overall funds available. Balancing the needs of the fishing industry with those of the wider range of harbour users while delivering on a public service remit will be foremost when considering future developments in the harbour. Of course, any new developments will be done on the basis of available Exchequer funding and competing national priorities.
I thank the Minister for his reply. He is no stranger to Howth and is very aware of the natural beauty of this scenic location and of its connectivity with the city as a DART terminus. The harbour is very much under-utilised and there are long-standing issues regarding leases on vacant properties while the frontage of some shops and other units could be very much improved. Can the Minister set out the vision he has for the Howth and the other fishery harbours? Howth is particularly under-utilised in respect of marine leisure and tourism where there is huge potential. I acknowledge that one needs a stream of income but if the vacant properties were properly leased there would be more income. There is also dredging to be done in the harbour and other jobs. Ship and boat repairs are not carried out in Howth. Sadly, that work takes place in Kilkeel in County Down due to an under-investment in Howth. Can the Minister set out the actions he is in a position to take?
I will give the Deputy an idea of the approved funding and expenditure in 2014. We approved the design and planning of pontoons between the middle and west piers at a cost of €100,000, almost €60,000 of which has been spent. There was an assignment of €80,000 for a syncrolift platform for painting and repairs, of which €45,000 has been spent. A sum of €20,000 was approved for the upgrade of navigational lights and markers but more than that has been spent. A sum of €150,000 was approved for east pier repairs, of which €111,000 has been spent. A sum of €500,000 was allocated to upgrade the electrical system which was causing major problems for businesses and harbour users and most of that money has been spent. A sum of €20,000 has been spent to provide disability access while €310,000 was allocated for safety and maintenance, most of which has been spent. In total €1.18 million was allocated and more than €1 million has been spent.
There is no lack of commitment to the harbour in the Department but we share the facility with other users. Howth has extraordinary potential as a leisure harbour as well as a fisheries harbour. I know Howth Yacht Club very well and have been there many times. There is significant potential for leisure, tourism and passenger ferries perhaps on a small scale to take people around Dublin Bay. There was a project proposal to connect Dún Laoghaire with Howth last year and we spoke to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport about putting a kiosk in place in Howth to facilitate that. We will continue to work with our partners to try to build broad commercial activity in the harbour but we must also maintain a functioning fishing harbour in the context of developing those other activities.
I appreciate the Minister's response but while there has been a sizeable amount of investment, repair work to boats is taking place in County Down rather than here. The State is losing money in that regard. There is also the issue of leases on empty properties where the State should be collecting money. Hopefully, that is something that could be looked at further. There is concern in Howth about the length of time it can take for decisions to be made.
Decisions are made in Clonakilty, and the length of time it takes is an ongoing criticism. I hope the Minister will be able to follow through and ensure the harbour is used more for boat repairs.
I assure the Deputy that the fact that decisions are made in Clonakilty does not delay anything. Much of the marine side of my Department is based in Clonakilty and it is an efficient operation. BIM, which is also involved in many of the fisheries development programmes in Howth and elsewhere, has its headquarters in Dún Laoghaire, although it has a seafood development programme in Clonakilty. There are issues around leasing arrangements in all our fishing harbours. Some people owe money and are not paying up, and we need to pursue them because we are trying to run commercial harbours as well as facilitate business growth and employment creation. There is always an element of friction between landlords and tenants in some of these industrial units and it is the same in some of our other fisheries harbours. There are some individual examples, about which we have spoken, in which we are trying to make progress with the tenant and the business operating there. Sometimes it is difficult and sometimes there are court cases ongoing which prevent me from being able to speak about them. I take the point that if there are vacant properties in places such as Howth, which is potentially a very attractive destination for businesses such as seafood processing, restaurants, food development and tourism development, we should be examining the opportunities when we can. I will follow up on it.
Animal Welfare
Maureen O'Sullivan
Question:135. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of a recent hunting report (details supplied), which reveals that a fox was hunted by 37 hounds for over 13 miles, if he will acknowledge the cruelty involved and remove the exemption for fox hunting from the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6665/15]
My question relates to a report on a fox hunt which I sent to the Minister and which acknowledges that a fox was chased by 37 hounds for over 13 miles. It is time we decided that this is extremely cruel, that it is not sport and that we remove the exemption for fox hunting from the Animal Health and Welfare Act.
I will answer the Deputy directly rather than reading out a long answer. I read the report the Deputy sent me, which described a hunt that took place in which a fox was chased by a pack of hounds and a hunt club across 13.6 miles. The fox went to ground and that was the end of the hunt, as far as I know. We have discussed these issues many times and I know and respect the Deputy's views on fox hunting. However, I made the decision, with others, when we discussed the Animal Health and Welfare Act, that instead of banning what is termed "field sports" we would consider regulation and put codes of conduct in place. My Department is making contact with hunt clubs to ensure the voluntary codes of conduct are put into a formal code that the Department would be involved in putting together and negotiating. This is part of what we are required to do under the Animal Health and Welfare Act.
I am not going to get into a debate on whether or not we should have fox hunting in Ireland. We have made our decision in the Animal Health and Welfare Act, which includes specific exemptions for fishing and hunting in the clear statement that lawful hunting of an animal may take place unless the animal is released in an injured, mutilated or exhausted condition. There are tighter regulations and rules on hunting than ever because of this legislation. We are going to add to them by putting in place codes of conduct. While the Deputy seeks an outright ban, it will reassure many of those who are comfortable with hunting as long as there are certain parameters within which people must operate and this will be the basis for the new codes of conduct which we are putting in place.
Let us consider what is involved in fox hunting. First, in the marking to ground, the pack of hounds will chase the fox into the drain or earth. Then, the terrier man sends a terrier down the hole to attack or corner the fox.
After that people start to dig away the clay and the fox is exposed. We know that this is an extremely cruel practice, but there are people who are so dedicated to hunting that they will find a way around all of the regulations in the world. It is cruel; it is not a sport. This does not concern only the isolated incident about which I wrote to the Minister. We have other examples. I came across this advertisement:
What can be better than a day's fox hunting in Ireland? The cry of the hounds, the sound of the hunting horn, the thrill of jumping over natural fences, and the sheer style of this equestrian sport is available to everyone at ... Why not join us for the fox hunting holiday of a lifetime? ... There are over 80 hunting clubs in Ireland and we will be delighted to arrange your fox hunting vacation in Ireland ... and join in the craic ... in the pub afterwards.
We are facilitating people to come to this country for fox hunting, a practice which is banned in many other countries and we call it sport.
I do not want to get into the debate we had on the legislation about which we talked earlier. I do not know whether there was any digging out involved in the hunt the Deputy described to me. There is no mention of it one way or the other. We have made it very clear during the debate on these issues that we will also consider making sure there will be certain conditions required to be met when an animal is dug out. I recall having many meetings on this issue with representative bodies of working terrier groups, as well as non-governmental organisations. We tried to strike the best balance we could in the legislation.
In response to the advertisement the Deputy read, many people enjoy hunting. They enjoy riding across the countryside on horseback. There are many successful drag hunts in Ireland, as well as full fox hunts. My obligation as Minister and a legislator is to put rules and regulations in place to make sure this is done in as acceptable a way as possible from an animal welfare point of view. That is what we are trying to do.
There was a time when we were hunters and gatherers and had to hunt animals for food, but we do not have to do this anymore. It is a shame on us as a nation that we tolerate barbarity and cruelty to animals in the name of what is supposed to be a sport. It is hard to believe we continue barbaric practices. Everybody acknowledges how far the Bill went, but it did not go far enough. The Minister and I know that the hunting clubs are finding loopholes. We saw this happen recently during a stag hunt in County Meath, when a loophole allowed the hunt to continue because it had caught the scent of the stag. Why can we not actively support drag hunting and leave the pursuit of live animals that usually end up being pulled apart by whatever animal is chasing them to bygone days where it belongs?
I am not sure it is true to say an animal is usually pulled apart. In my experience of hunting, the fox normally escapes, not that I have huge experience of it, but when I have hunted, I have never seen a fox being pulled apart. I am sure, however, that it happens and I am not saying it does not. Our policy decisions try to strike a balance for those who derive great enjoyment from hunting and farmers who want foxes to be hunted off their land. If the Deputy were to see a field of lambs being killed by a fox, she would see a gruesome sight of an animal being pulled apart where the fox was the predator.
That is a different point.
Foxes are wild animals and can be vicious at times and do significant damage to farm animals, poultry and so on, although I know that is not the point the Deputy is raising. I am not willing to go as far as she would like, but we are doing what we can to ensure we put parameters, rules and codes of conduct in place to make sure fox hunting will be as acceptable as possible from an animal welfare perspective.
Beef Exports
Paul Murphy
Question:136. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views regarding the possible future effects on the reputation of Irish beef, arising from the involvement of a company (details supplied), as the first major distributor of Irish beef in America. [6680/15]
Do the Minister and his Department have concerns about possible future effects on the reputation of Irish beef arising from the involvement of Larry Goodman's company, ABP Food Group, as the first major distributor of Irish beef in America?
While obviously I welcome all questions here, the Deputy is trying to infer something I do not think is relevant or exists. First, we were in the United States last week and visited New York, Washington and Boston over three days. Practically the entire beef industry was out there and it was not just ABP Foods but also Kepak, Dawn Meats, Slaney Meats, Foyle Food Group and multiple others. They all were doing deals, which is what they were there for, namely, to meet potential customers. For the first time in 16 years, Ireland is able to sell a high-quality premium product into the largest beef market in the world. In total, 11 million tonnes of beef are consumed in the United States each year. The average American eats twice the volume of beef eaten by the average European each year. ABP Food Group is the largest beef processor in Ireland and Britain and from my experience, it runs a pretty good show. It has modern plants, kills a lot of cattle and it is not a surprise that the largest beef processor in Ireland was putting together a partnership with the largest food distributor in the United States, Sysco Corporation. Incidentally, that is a fantastic company which, a number of years ago, partnered and acquired Pallas Foods and there are great people involved in that company, many of whom are Irish. This partnership should be worth approximately €15 million per year in terms of purchasing Irish beef and is a highly positive news story. I will not allow and have not allowed personalities or history with regard to names, companies or anything to get in the way of what is a positive story for the food industry. ABP Food Group did a great job last week and Paul Finnerty was out there. The other big companies also did a great job last week. It was a universally positive three days in both of those big Irish cities in the United States. In my view, it will help to put positive momentum into beef prices in Ireland as one moves into the rest of the year and what has been raised here is something of a distraction.
No, I share in the view that it is welcome that Irish beef exporters can export to the United States. However, the question is whether it is in no way problematic that at present, regardless of whether one likes it, the face of those exports is a man who was in charge of a company that previously was found by a tribunal to have been repackaging meat, meat by-products and offal from all over the world as Irish. Is this not problematic? I draw no inferences that are not there. It is the case that as Minister, Deputy Coveney welcomed the deal, which is the biggest of all the deals that were done. One can think back to 1987, when a previous major deal concluded by this man and his company was welcomed by the Government. Obviously, that turned out to be a disaster in respect of export credit insurance taken on by the taxpayer and the cost of that then landing on the taxpayer.
Let me reassure people on this issue. I can only speak for myself as Minister over nearly four years. My Department keeps tight regulatory responsibility with all the beef companies in Ireland. No animal is killed in Ireland without being supervised by someone from my Department, most of them being veterinarians, and this goes for ABP Food Group, as well as all the others. Ireland exports beef to 45 different countries and all the big players are involved in that export story. Were one to refer to the distant past on a regular basis and make inferences from that-----
We would do nothing.
-----I am unsure what purpose that would serve. Personally, I have little or no relationship with the individual to whom the Deputy has referred and I certainly am not going to start speaking about any individual in this House.
My job is to ensure companies processing beef in Ireland do it properly and safely to a high standard. That has been my experience of all the companies with us last week in the United States. We have only approved two plants to export beef to United States. Very soon there will be a third and, over the next several months, many other plants will go through the approval process. I am comfortable and confident that all the companies exporting beef to the United States will be able to maintain the hard-earned reputation of the beef business of high quality.
The Minister used the phrase the distant past but one does not have to go back to 1987 to find questionable practices happening in a plant owned by this company. Two years ago, it was implicated in the horsemeat scandal. It should be recognised that the man in question was previously at the centre of a nexus relationship between agribusiness and politicians. If one reads the beef tribunal report, it pops up again and again about this man meeting Charlie Haughey in his home. Do these people have influence? The beef industry, as detailed by Deputy Pat Rabbitte in this House several years ago, made significant donations to the major establishment parties such as Fianna Fáil-----
Will the Deputy be careful with what he is saying? I have no issue about him naming the person as it is in the public domain. However, any suggestions or allegations of wrongdoing against a person outside of the House are not in order.
I am not making any new allegations about anybody. These are known facts. It is also a known fact that this man is now the biggest beef exporter to the US but the Minister does not have a problem with this. He does not believe this could cause damage to other beef exporters who do not have murky questions over their previous business practices, not just in the distant past but more recently.
The Deputy should look in the mirror.
Why? I do not export beef or horsemeat for that matter.
I am not going to get into making judgments on issues that were subjects of tribunals in the past as I do not believe it is helpful. As I said, I am very comfortable that we have regulatory systems that allow us to produce the safest and highest quality beef on the planet. It is not just me saying that. We are the only European country allowed to export beef to the United States because of those standards. It is also because of the results of inspection visits by United States authorities last summer of several ABP plants, which were excellent.
My job is to ensure when we are exporting beef all over the world that we are doing it in a way that is safe and that I can stand over its transparency, traceability, sustainability, quality and safety. All the companies with us last week in the United States comply with the regulations in full. In many ways, they are offering leadership with new projects, particularly around sustainability and animal welfare. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan might be interested on that last point. For that reason, companies like Sysco are happy to develop partnerships with large Irish beef companies. This will allow us build business that will ensure farmers get a better price for their produce and build increased employment in the beef industry based on export markets like the United States.
Aquaculture Licences
Éamon Ó Cuív
Question:137. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received each year by his Department for fin-fish farming licences since he became Minister; the number of these that have been decided; granted; refused; and broken down between renewal of licences and new licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6623/15]
Several fin-fish farming licence applications have been with the Department for a long time. It is reasonable for objectors and applicants that they get some certainty regarding the timelines for which decisions will be made on these licences. It was recently reported that the Minister said in the case of one application that a decision will be made soon. Will he clarify what “soon” means?
It is a fair concern to outline that there have been some challenges with aquaculture licensing. Before I came into office, no aquaculture licence had been granted for five years. The European Commission took Ireland to court because its licensing system was not fit for purpose.
As a result, we have put a licensing system in place that would be required as gold standard, which involves having to assess all the bays around the country that are categorised as special areas of conservation, which is practically every bay with the exception of one or two. That takes time. The decision-making process does not just involve me and my Department. It involves the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Marine Institute in terms of scientific advice and - obviously - it involves a process that allows stakeholders and objectors to be able to make known their views. It involves a public consultation process as well, and all of that takes time.
It is worth noting that in 2014 I made positive determinations in respect of two renewal applications for fin fish farming for trout farms. By comparison, since taking office I have made 278 determinations in respect of shellfish aquaculture. When we get a system working, which we now have for shellfish, I will make decisions as soon as I have a scientific, sound basis to do so. Fin fish farming has proved to be more complex than that, particularly around salmon and the location of salmon farms, salmon cages and so on. For the record, because people seem to think I am a Minister who just wants to drive through salmon farm applications all over the place, I have not granted one salmon farm licence application since coming into office and I will not until I get recommendations on my desk, from the Marine Institute primarily backed up by my own Department officials, to the effect that it is appropriate to grant the licence. I would like to see the salmon industry grow in Ireland but I will only do it in a way that guarantees the sustainability and environmental protection of the bays and marine environment for which the applications are being proposed.
I asked a number of very specific questions which the Minister has not addressed. The first part was to ask him for the number of fin fish farming licences that have been applied for each year since he came into office, the number that have been decided and the number refused, broken down between renewals and new licences. Can he tell me how many applications he has received, how many decisions he has made, how many were grants, how many were refusals, and what is the breakdown between renewals and applications?
The Minister always talks about processes. Would it be possible for him to ask his officials in the next week to give me a briefing note on the actual processes followed by him in assessing an application? The Minister says he gets advice from Foras na Mara and so on. Can he get somebody to detail to me what those processes are and whether there are any timelines to them? Is it possible to find out how far down the process each application has gone? That would be a help in terms of openness, transparency, accountability and better government.
On the first question, in 2011 two applications were received; in 2012 two applications were received; and in 2013 and 2014 no applications were received for new licences for fin fish farms. On renewal of licences, eight applications were received in 2011; nine applications in 2012; two applications in 2013; and two applications in 2014. It is important to say that in the case of renewals, there is a statutory guarantee to allow operators to continue operating while the renewal is being considered. We obviously would not want to shut down businesses while there is a consideration of a renewal. We do have a statutory guarantee that the companies can continue to operate while their renewals are being considered. We are not talking about huge numbers of applications here.
There is not a timeline on the process. I have looked at introducing one but that does pose problems because sometimes if we have to put scientific-based assessments in place, that does take time. Sometimes we have to take on extra contractors to do it. We are looking all the time at ways we can increase the pace of the consideration of these applications but when there is a detailed application - some of them are controversial and the Deputy is very familiar with a few of them - they take time. Deputy Ó Cuív is familiar with that.
The Minister seemed to indicate there - I was making quick notes - that there are more than 20 applications for renewal. How many of those have actually been renewed and how many are operating on the basis that they can continue doing what they are doing without a formal renewal?
Many people around Galway are very concerned about the proposal for the fin fish farm in Galway Bay. It is fair to say that the uncertainty is causing deep upset among the public. It was reported that the Minister said a decision would be made on that soon. That was reported in the newspaper even though I can never get any indication from him here. Can he tell me within what timescale - two months, three months or whatever - he expects to make a decision on the application for the Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, fish farm in Galway Bay?
Just to be clear, as I said earlier, we made positive determinations in respect of two renewal applications and both of those were trout farms, nothing to do with salmon at all. I am not going to give a timescale for the Galway Bay application because I have to wait to get recommendations on my desk. I have put those who are considering this application under some pressure to try to get those recommendations onto my desk but I am far more concerned about getting the decision right than I am about getting a decision made quickly on an application of that size and scale. I think people would expect that from me.