Written Answers Nos. 29-32
29. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views regarding the operation of the DSPCA, which has received substantial funds from his Department in order to carry out important animal welfare functions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42806/14]
View answerThe Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA), a registered charity, established in 1840, is one of a number of animal welfare organisations providing an important service to animals in need in the greater Dublin area. As a registered charity, the DSPCA comes under the scope of the new Charities Regulatory Authority which has been established under the terms of the Charities Act 2009 and falls within the area of responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality.
With regard to its animal welfare activities, the DSPCA is amongst 136 animal welfare bodies who received funding from my Department in 2013 to assist in its work in dealing with problems associated with cruelty, neglect and sickness to animals and in important work in rescue and rehoming of animals. Each organisation in receipt of funding for animal welfare activities is provided with a detailed Code of Practice by my Department, which sets out recommendations aimed at promoting sound animal welfare and management practices. In particular, the DSPCA (as with other recipients of funding) is asked to ensure that the general public in their catchment areas is aware of the organisation’s activities as this provides an opportunity for people to report on suspected cases of animal cruelty. I am aware that the DSPCA has a very active engagement with school and community groups in the greater Dublin area and its environs and that it provides a valuable service in relation to animal welfare issues in the area.
30. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will make the lobster V notching programme mandatory for all vessels fishing lobster around the coast; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43009/14]
View answerThe primary intention of the lobster V-notch programme is to improve the sustainability of Ireland's lobster stocks by protecting female lobsters so that they can breed a number of times and contribute to sustained stock levels. Following extensive consultation with the fishing industry, in May this year I announced enhancement to the lobster v-notching programme which is operated by BIM with voluntary participation from fishermen. The programme now offers increased grant aid of up to 75% for fishermen who present live lobsters for v-notching and return them live to sea. Since the announcement in May BIM has seen an upsurge in participation in the Programme and expect that year-end figures for 2014 will be double those of 2013. To put numbers on that, BIM expect the scheme to pay out €220,000 directly to fishermen for conserving over 25 tonnes of lobster or roughly 20,000 individuals.
During the consultation exercise my Department carried out on lobster management in 2013, there were many calls out of the 250 plus responses for mandatory v-notching but little consensus on how it should be applied. In view of the significant improvement in participation rates through incentive I am not persuaded that compulsory measures are required. That said, in May I also announced the establishment of the National Inshore Fisheries Forum based on a network of regional forums to give inshore fishermen and their communities a direct voice in this kind of policy issue. The first Regional Inshore Fisheries Forum meetings have taken place and I look forward to meeting their representatives at the National Inshore Fisheries Forum at the start of December. I firmly believe that marine stakeholders themselves have the knowledge and expertise to contribute to sustainable long term plans from conception through to implementation and I hope the Forums will harness these qualities for the betterment of the inshore sector.
31. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that he has taken measures necessary to improve the prices paid to beef producers here with particular reference to bringing the prices paid to producers here into line with those in adjoining jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42986/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, questions of price are ultimately matters to be determined between the purchasers and the sellers of cattle. It is neither appropriate nor possible for me or any other Minister for Agriculture in the EU, to intervene directly on these issues. Indeed, the new Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has emphasised this point a gain in recent days via correspondence directed to my Department . Cattle p rices are determined by supply - demand dynamics which are in turn influenced by a range of different factors such as consumer preferences, distance to market, consumer confidence, retail promotions, competition with other meats and the overall macroeconomic situation . Nonetheless, it is vital that farmers are sufficiently remunerated for producing quality animals. My role as Minister for Agriculture is to create a policy support environment that will allow the beef sector to flourish in line with normal market principles.
In the recent budget, I announced a total package of approximately €74 million for the beef sector in 2015, including a provision of €52 million for a proposed Beef Data and Genomics Programme which will place Ireland at the leading edge globally in the use of genomics in beef production. The current Genomics Scheme is being further developed and enhanced as part of a 6-year RDP measure which, once approved by the European Commission, will deliver a payment per animal of €100 for the first ten animals, with the remaining animals being eligible for an €80 payment per animal in participating herds. In 2014, I have brought forward a number of initiatives to help the sector, including the creation of the Beef Genomics Scheme with a budget of €23 million in 2014. I have also ensured that the budgets of the Beef Data Programme and the Beef Technology Adoption Programme are retained at €10 million and €5 million which, when added to residual payments under the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme, amounts to an investment of €40m in 2014.
I have also been proactive in securing new market opportunities for Irish beef with Japan, Lebanon and Philippines opened in the last 12 months and significant progress in the US and Canada where I expect Irish beef to be landing on supermarket shelves sometime soon. In addition I made a major breakthrough in China last week where I secured the agreement of the Chinese authorities to send a formal inspection team to Ireland within the next month.
I will continue to engage with both farmers and processors to ensure that the market operates in a fair and transparent manner. Improved transparency has been delivered through the development of a Beef Pricewatch App which was developed by Department and already has 17,000 users. The App presents a range of up to date price information in a user-friendly fashion and is available free of charge to farmers and others interested in this information. The feedback from the users to date has been extremely positive and my Department is already giving consideration to adding new features over time.
32. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he expects the agrifood sector to benefit from his recent visit to China with particular reference to any new markets likely to become available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42987/14]
View answerI led a trade mission to China from 2-7 November which comprised 37 of Ireland’s leading agri-food and agri-services companies and which included over 50 trade promotion meetings in 5 cities. The purpose of the trade mission was to provide an opportunity to showcase Ireland’s world class food and drink products and services in this expanding market and to facilitate business to business meetings between companies. The opportunities and potential of the Chinese market for the Irish agri-food and related sectors are enormous. The importance of the Chinese market to Ireland is demonstrated in our agri-food and related exports to China and Hong Kong which have expanded from €254m in 2011 to €442m in 2013, a 74% increase, while exports to the end of August 2014 amounted to €405m from €300m in the same period last year, a 35% increase. I would expect to see these exports reaching €500m this year. The potential for our exports to continue to grow is linked to China’s ongoing food security and food safety concerns and an insatiable demand for infant formula, from which Ireland can benefit strategically because of our potential to increase production particularly in the dairy sector from 2015, and because Ireland is, increasingly in the eyes of the Chinese, being regarded as a country which has the highest food safety standards, having had all its dairy plants, which applied to export to China, approved this year.
Following political meetings with my Chinese counterparts , including the Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Han Changfu) and the Minister responsible for market access (Mr. Zhi Shuping), we have had a significant breakthrough on beef, with a firm commitment from the Chinese Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQSIQ) to carry out a formal inspection visit in Ireland in early December. My Department has already begun an intensive engagement with the Chinese authorities and with Irish industry on the planning for this inspection visit. In addition the Chinese authorities also agreed to the wording of a certificate for the export of bovine semen to China which paves the way for the first exports of bovine semen from Ireland to China. An Irish company (Dovea) signed a contract of intent to export bovine semen.
In the dairy sector, the week saw a number of events marking strategic partnerships between Irish and Chinese dairy companies which are now resulting in dairy produce including infant formula, manufactured in Ireland and identified as originating in Ireland on sale on Chinese supermarket shelves, and becoming the premier product of choice for Chinese consumers. We are fortunate to have Irish companies such as IDB, Glanbia, and Kerry Foods, and multinationals such as Abbot, Wyeth, and Nutricia, which have manufacturing facilities in Ireland, representing Ireland in this important market. In seeking to ensure that there are no technical barriers to trade in the future, I have agreed an MOU with Minister Shuping on introducing a pilot electronic certification system in the dairy sector.
In the seafood sector, I opened the largest ever Irish stand at the Chinese Seafood Expo, in Qingdao, the largest in Asia, where Ireland was represented by 11 companies. I also concluded an MOU with Minister Zhi Shuping of AQSIQ on facilitating market access for seafood into China. While our exports of seafood are small, valued at €16m in 2013, these exports have grown by almost 50% from 2012 when we exported just €7m. A number of agri-services companies on the trade mission also concluded contracts in China including Samco and Keenans.
The one clear message I received from the Chinese authorities, companies and buyers this week is that they know and trust food originating from Ireland as being produced to the highest standards when it comes to food safety, quality and sustainability. It’s important now that we build on this momentum and keep focused on providing quality agri-food, seafood products and services to the Chinese market.
