Written Answers Nos. 97-105
97. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive their headage payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39573/14]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 9 April 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing eligibility inspection. This inspection is currently being finalised with the intention of issuing any payments due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.
98. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on revising the regulation to allow farmers who are committed to the agri-environment option scheme to supplement the feed for their animals as currently the only time supplement may be added to the diet is under extreme weather conditions due to heavy snowfall or flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39584/14]
View answerSupplementary feeding was prohibited on Species Rich Grassland parcels in AEOS as a precautionary measure to prevent damage through poaching at supplementary feeding points. However in the context of GLAS my Department is considering allowing supplementary feeding on Low Input Permanent Pasture and Traditional Hay Meadow parcels contiguous to commonage as a means of assisting farmers to manage stock actively grazing the commonage. This review will also inform our position with regard to supplementary feeding under AEOS.
99. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason veterinary retail personnel have to do an updated course on veterinary product sales if they have only completed a recent course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39588/14]
View answerIt has been a requirement of national animal remedies legislation since 1996 that retail sales of veterinary medicines by persons other than veterinary practitioners or pharmacists can only be carried out by appropriately trained persons referred to as ‘Responsible Persons’. My Department announced that, from the beginning of 2013, these mandatory training requirements were being brought into line with the National Framework of Qualifications under which courses are accredited by FETAC and were compulsory for all new applicants after 1 January 2013. As well as reflecting developments in the training environment since 1996, this took account of the fact that Responsible Persons had been enabled in the interim to supply certain Prescription Only medicines on the prescription of a veterinary practitioner. It was also necessary to introduce transitional upskilling arrangements for existing Responsible Persons. Under these arrangements, a minimum of 3 years and, in the majority of cases, much longer, will have elapsed since a person will have attended a course. It is also important to point out that those affected will be enabled to avail of a tailored upgrade course.
It is my view that these arrangements are in the best interests of ensuring the safe supply of veterinary medicines through the broadest possible range of retail outlets and serve to ensure the maintenance of healthy competition in this field.
100. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway did not receive their disadvantaged area scheme payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39595/14]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 9 May 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing eligibility inspection. This inspection is currently being finalised with the intention of issuing any payments due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.
101. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding payments in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry. [39669/14]
View answerProcessing of the Disadvantaged Areas application of the person named has recently been finalised, with payment due to issue shortly, directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
102. Deputy Áine Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay of a payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [39673/14]
View answerProcessing of the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas/Single Payment application of the person named has recently been finalised by my Department, with payment due to issue shortly, directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
103. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans on making the DNA testing of all cattle in processing plants mandatory in order to ensure full traceability from field to fork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39682/14]
View answerUnder EU law, primary responsibility for the safety and traceability of food placed in the marketplace lies with food business operators. The role of my Department is to verify compliance by the food business operators with this requirement. I am satisfied that the traceability requirements in place are sufficient to ensure the safety of the product while also providing information to consumers and retailers. This is borne out by the successful audits of our traceability systems from the many third countries who have opened their markets to Irish beef in recent years. Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002, which sets out the general principles and requirements of EU food law, stipulates, among other things, that food business operators at all stages of production, processing and distribution within the businesses under their control must ensure that foods satisfy the requirements of food law. Specifically in regard to traceability, the regulations require that food business operators must have systems in place to be able to identify any person from whom they have been supplied with a food. They must also have a system in place to identify the other businesses to which their product has been supplied. In other words, a food business operator at each and every stage in the food chain must be able to identify the source of its inputs as well as having details of the first recipient of its output.
My Department has a permanent veterinary presence at all DAFM approved slaughter plants. Controls at stand-alone secondary processing plants are carried out at a frequency which is based on an annual risk assessment for each plant. An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each DAFM approved meat plant. The audit includes physical identity, labelling and document checks and concerns product originating both in EU Member States and third countries. In addition, labelling and documentary checks form part of the routine procedures conducted by Department officials.
Rules on the labelling of meat and meat products are laid down in EU legislation. For beef, the current rules require compulsory origin labelling, with place of birth, rearing and slaughter specified as well as the approval number of the slaughterhouse and cutting hall. Currently there is no obligation under EU law to identify bovines using DNA testing. The tagging system for bovines is based on Council Regulation 1760/2000 which requires all bovines to be identified with 2 matching ear tags within 20 days of birth and to register the calf within 7 days of tagging on the AIM database.
I am not aware of any plans at EU level to amend Regulation 1760 of 2000 to facilitate the introduction of DNA testing for bovine traceability purposes. The introduction of such a measure would certainly entail extra costs which, ultimately, would be borne by the consumer. Consideration would need to be given to the impact this might have on the price of the final product and the competitiveness of our beef exports.
I have of course recently launched a Beef Genomics Scheme which, on a voluntarily basis, will require participating farmers to take a tissue sample from specified animals for genotyping. The primary purpose of this programme is to accelerate breed quality in the suckler herd and to expand efficiency and profitability at farm level.
104. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of Polish beef imported legally for further processing by meat plants here in each of the past three years; the steps taken to prevent the illegal import of Polish beef to meat plants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39685/14]
View answerThe volume of beef imported from Poland over the last three years, as recorded by the CSO, is as follows:
|
Year |
Volume in tonnes |
|
2012 |
1,409 tonnes |
|
2013 |
419 tonnes |
|
2014 Jan-Jul |
106 tonnes |
Typically, beef imports from Poland are made up of lower value manufacturing product or carcase beef, which undergoes some further processing by Irish companies before re-export.
An annual audit of imported products is carried out in each meat plant by my Department. The audit includes physical identity, labelling and documentary checks and concerns product originating both in EU Member States and third countries. In addition, labelling and documentary checks form part of the routine checks conducted by Department officials.
Checks are also conducted at retail level by the Health Service Executive (HSE), working under the aegis of the FSAI, which has an overarching supervisory role in relation to labelling matters.
105. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of live exports of cattle and sheep from Ireland each year in the past three years broken down by country of final destination and between cattle and sheep; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39686/14]
View answerI attach considerable importance to the live export trade and, together with my Department, I have been very active in facilitating both the cross border live trade and shipments abroad. Live exports serve a dual purpose as a means of satisfying market demands for live animals and providing alternative market outlets for farmers. Total live exports to date this year stand at almost 203,000 head, of which almost 51,000 have gone to the UK, an increase of some 5,300 head or nearly 12% up on the comparable period in 2013. Allied to this, exports to Continental EU now stand at over 136,300 head, an increase of over 20,400 head or 17.5%. Please see details of live exports (Head of cattle and sheep) from Ireland, by destination, as follows.
|
2014 Cattle to Date |
2013 Cattle |
2012 Cattle |
|||
|
France |
5242 |
France |
6953 |
France |
236 |
|
Netherlands |
38055 |
Netherlands |
31521 |
Netherlands |
15043 |
|
Germany |
366 |
Germany |
1010 |
Germany |
122 |
|
Italy |
26654 |
Italy |
26048 |
Italy |
37019 |
|
Greece |
1073 |
UK |
65395 |
UK |
72985 |
|
Portugal |
41 |
Greece |
1576 |
Denmark |
219 |
|
Spain |
43542 |
Portugal |
94 |
Greece |
2502 |
|
Belgium |
21247 |
Spain |
36844 |
Portugal |
109 |
|
Czech Rep. |
10 |
Belgium |
19468 |
Spain |
15198 |
|
Hungary |
105 |
Hungary |
58 |
Belgium |
10091 |
|
Romania |
23 |
Romania |
421 |
Hungary |
1021 |
|
Morocco |
377 |
Russia |
239 |
Romania |
307 |
|
Tunisia |
951 |
Morocco |
1070 |
Slovenia |
250 |
|
Libya |
14338 |
Tunisia |
3164 |
Russia |
721 |
|
Rwanda |
28 |
Libya |
14542 |
Kazakhstan |
765 |
|
Lebanon |
68 |
Rwanda |
103 |
Kosovo |
95 |
|
UK |
50405 |
Morocco |
2335 |
||
|
Tunisia |
1299 |
||||
|
2014 Sheep to Date |
|
2013 Sheep |
|
2012 Sheep |
|
|
Belgium |
11225 |
Belgium |
6249 |
Belgium |
5396 |
|
Germany |
7214 |
Germany |
16137 |
Germany |
9636 |
|
France |
13044 |
France |
10964 |
France |
11548 |
|
UK |
2915 |
UK |
1739 |
UK |
3097 |
|
Italy |
7533 |
Italy |
11108 |
Italy |
6953 |
|
Netherlands |
743 |
Netherlands |
887 |
Netherlands |
1003 |
|
|
|
Libya |
21443 |
|
|
