Written Answers Nos. 32 - 39
32. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current regulations for dog shelters, boarding kennels, dog breeders; and behaviourists and trainers working with dogs; if he considers there are gaps in the regulations which are causing poor standards in the treatment of dogs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34209/15]
View answerThe provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 Act apply to the premises and the persons referred to by the Deputy. The Act is designed to protect the health and welfare of all animals, irrespective of species, whether kept for commercial, domestic, sport, show or for other purposes. Under the Act, the penalties are as high as can be permitted under our legal system such that on summary conviction, a person can be fined up to €5,000 and/or sentenced to up to 6 months imprisonment; on conviction on indictment, a fine of up to €250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 5 years may be imposed. There is provision for fixed penalty payments for lesser offences. The Act provides the framework within which the welfare of animals can be safeguarded and I am hopeful that the substantial and significantly increased levels of penalties for offences of animal cruelty provided for under the Act will act as a deterrent to animal welfare abuses. Therefore, I am satisfied that the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 provides a robust vehicle to enable the respective authorities to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute any breaches of the welfare provisions of the Act by dog shelters, boarding kennels, dog breeders and behaviourists or trainers.
As the Deputy is aware, I am fully committed to promoting good practices that respect the welfare of all animals and my Department devotes considerable resources to protecting animal welfare and in dealing with breaches of animal welfare legislation. My Department operates an Animal Welfare Hotline on which members of the public can report suspected incidents of animal neglect. All such reports are followed up by officers of my Department. If there are any specific allegations about individuals or organisations they can be notified to the Animal Welfare Hotline.
33. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress to date in rolling out the beef data and genomics scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34219/15]
View answerThe closing date for applications to the Beef Data & Genomics Programme (BDGP) was the 5th June 2015, and my Department received almost 30,000 valid applications for the scheme. The BDGP is an essential component in reversing the widely acknowledged decline in the maternal index of the Irish suckler herd. The BDGP will also improve the quality of the national suckler herd and deliver an accelerated improvement in the environmental sustainability of the beef herd through the application of genomics technology. Participants in the programme will receive a payment of €142.50 for each of the first eligible 6.66 hectares and €120 for each of the remaining hectares up to the maximum payable area. The maximum payable area is based on the number of calved suckler cows in each herd in 2014. The payment rates provide for a higher payment linked to the first 10 animals on each herd as I felt it was important to favour smaller herds through this programme. The payment rate of €142.50 is the maximum amount which could be provided based on the cost incurred and income foregone associated with the actions under the BDGP, as negotiated with the European Commission.
The focus has now turned to implementation of the scheme which is now well underway and my Department and the ICBF are working closely with scheme participants on the various requirements. This is progressing well with over 255,000 tissue tags sent to scheme applicants to date. This leaves only 70,000 more to be sent out and the ICBF expect that these will be in the post within the next two weeks. Over 70,000 samples have been sent back for genomic testing, which covers over 7,000 herds. This is a very positive start to the BDGP as it means that already 25% of participants have completed their genotyping requirement in the BDGP. A reminder letter will issue to farmers who have not yet sent back their samples by the end of next week. The online facility for recording animal survey data is now open and around 5,500 farmers have used this method to complete their surveys with this number expected to rise.
In addition, my Department in conjunction with the ICBF and Teagasc are holding a series of information meetings nationwide for scheme participants. These meetings will enable farmers within the scheme to have one to one time with Department , ICBF and Teagasc staff in order to query any aspect of the scheme and look at their own personal circumstances with regards to the requirements they will have to fulfil to ensure full compliance, and therefore full payment, with the scheme.
The BDGP is a new and innovative programme. It’s a world first in terms of bringing genomic technology to beef farming and can revolutionise beef breeding in this country and help to drive on-farm profitability, while improving the environmental sustainability of the beef.
34. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will remove the 10% threshold for compensation for farmers with tuberculosis reactors; if he will remove the prohibition on purchasing into restricting holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34205/15]
View answerThere is a very comprehensive range of compensation measures provided by my Department to herdowners in the event of an outbreak of bovine TB in their herd. The main compensation scheme for these farmers is the On-Farm Market Valuation Scheme, which provides for full compensation, based on current “Market Value”, for the direct losses incurred by farmers arising from the removal of cattle as reactors. In addition to these valuation payments, herdowners who experience a disease breakdown may also qualify for compensation, for consequential losses, under the Income Supplement, Depopulation or Hardship Grant Schemes, subject to the terms and conditions applying in each case. Payments under these schemes are designed to compensate herdowners for income losses or additional costs incurred by farmers who have animals removed as reactors and whose herds are restricted. In relation specifically to the Income Supplement Scheme, a farmer must lose in excess of 10% of his animals to TB before payment can be considered.
Total expenditure on compensation paid to farmers in 2014 under the TB eradication scheme amounted to €15.2m. My officials are currently engaged in a review of these schemes and I will be making an announcement shortly in relation to this matter.
With regard to the restrictions on buying further animals into a TB restricted herd, the position is that these restrictions derive from EU legislation governing bovine TB eradication programmes. Article 17 of Council Directive 78/52 EEC provides that a herd in which bovine TB is confirmed may not be restocked until after the cattle identified as reactors are slaughtered and all cattle, over six weeks old, remaining in the herd have passed one official tuberculosis test. Once a herd passes such a test, it may be restocked under permit from the Regional Veterinary Office. Given that this requirement derives from binding EU legislation, it is not open to my Department to depart from it.
35. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of aquaculture licences awaiting decision when he came into office; sought; and decided, since he came into office; currently awaiting a decision, broken down between shellfish licences and fin-fish licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34220/15]
View answerThe statistical information sought by the Deputy in respect of aquaculture licence applications is as follows;
|
- |
Shellfish |
Finfish |
|
Number of Aquaculture Licences sought since I came into office |
408 |
34 |
|
Number awaiting decision when I came into office |
512 |
32 |
|
Number decided since I came into office |
302 |
5 |
|
Number awaiting decision at present |
564* |
61 |
Note: These figures include both new licence applications and renewals. In particular, almost all finfish licences awaiting decision are renewal applications.
* Does not include applications withdrawn by applicant/closed by Department.
Since taking office I have made 302 determinations in respect of shellfish aquaculture licence applications and 5 in respect of finfish aquaculture, of which 4 are for land based sites. The difference in numbers between shellfish and finfish reflects the greater number of operators conducting shellfish aquaculture and also, crucially, the hugely complex nature of the assessment process involved in respect of finfish. This is not to suggest that the assessment process is simple in the case of shellfish. However the requirement for a mandatory Environmental Impact Statement in the case of finfish cultivation in the marine environment adds a significant regulatory requirement on operators and on my Department when conducting assessments.
In addition, my Department in conjunction with the Marine Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service is conducting an "Appropriate Assessment" process in respect of designated NATURA bays. This process was agreed with the European Commission and is designed to ensure that Ireland is in full compliance with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.
This process includes the following steps:
- a detailed data collection in 91 Bays / Estuaries
- detailed analysis of raw data collected
- setting of Conservation Objectives by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) in respect of each site
- carrying out Appropriate Assessments of each licence application / fishery plan against the detailed Conservation Objectives set, and
- determination of Licences on the basis of the Appropriate Assessment and other relevant factors.
The Appropriate Assessment process has now been completed in respect of twelve bays – Castlemaine Harbour, Roaringwater Bay, Dundalk Bay, Lough Swilly, Donegal Bay, Dungarvan Harbour, Ballycotton Bay, Kenmare Bay, Valentia Harbour/Portmagee Channel, Galway Bay, Clew Bay and Drumcliff Bay/Cummeen Harbour.
The completion of the process on a bay by bay basis enables my Department to assess applications for new licences or the renewal of licences. Pending a decision on the renewal of licences, operators may lawfully continue their aquaculture activity under the provisions of Section 19A (4) of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act.
The regulatory procedures in respect of all aquaculture activities have never been stronger and represent a good balance between the need to develop the Industry and provide the highest level of protection for our marine and coastal environment. They are however highly complex in nature and resource intensive. The Deputy will be aware that in Food Wise 2025 I have undertaken to commission a review of the existing aquaculture licensing system involving all key stakeholders, to identify the current shortcomings and bottlenecks (legislative, resource and logistical), and implement necessary changes to the aquaculture licensing system as a matter of priority. This measure is a further indication of the importance I attach to getting our licensing system fit for purpose in the context of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry in the medium to long term.
36. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason he is downgrading the low input permanent pasture measure in the latest round of the green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34206/15]
View answerThe first tranche of GLAS proved hugely successful attracting nearly 27,000 applications in all. Applications were received from every single county and virtually every action was selected at some stage. On the basis of the plans submitted for the 27,000 applications received to date, we have already met or exceeded RDP targets for a number of different actions, including Low Input Permanent Pasture. For the second tranche of GLAS, therefore, I am revisiting the various actions that will be available to farmers in the light of the substantial progress made to date.
GLAS differs from previous schemes in that it adopts a very targeted approach to meeting its environmental objectives and the RDP includes a provision for review and reassessment after the first tranche. Given the very high uptake of Low Input Permanent Pasture (LIPP), and the fact that it has substantially exceeded its targets, it is proposed to adjust the provision of this action under the next tranche. As things stand, over 20% of the entire budget for GLAS is set to be paid on Low Input Permanent Pasture, and we clearly cannot continue to accept additional hectarage at the same rate indefinitely. However, it is important to note that it will still be possible to take up to 10 hectares of either LIPP or Traditional Hay Meadow as before, but the LIPP component will be limited to 5 hectares. While this means that we will still see permanent pasture coming into GLAS, I hope it will persuade more farmers to take the hay meadow option, which is well behind target, and which delivers the same payment per hectare.
These proposed changes for Tranche 2, including the rebalancing of LIPP, have been notified to the European Commission and their final response is expected very shortly.
37. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the attainment of the objectives set out in Food Harvest 2020; he expects the prospects to remain good for the dairy, beef, pig meat, lamb, poultry, and fishing sectors in the next five years; if he has identified particular or specific likely requirements during this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34189/15]
View answerThe main targets set out in the Food Harvest report published in 2010 were, by 2020, to increase the value of:
- Primary output in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector by 33% (from a 2007-09 average baseline),
- Agriculture, food (including seafood) and drink exports by 42% (from a 2007-09 average baseline),
- Value added production by 40% (from a 2008 baseline).
In addition to these value increases, the dairy industry targeted a 50% increase in milk production by 2020, to be progressed once the cap on milk production was lifted in April 2015.
Progress on these targets is monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis. The fourth annual report "Milestones for Success 2014" published September 2014, showed that the sector had achieved very significant progress on these targets and illustrated the manner in which the Food Harvest 2020 vision of ‘smart, green, growth’ is being attained.
Food Wise 2025, the new ten year strategy for the agri-food sector published in July this year, builds on the successful vision of Food Harvest 2020. It identifies the opportunities and challenges facing the sector and provides an enabling strategy that will allow the sector to grow and prosper. Food Wise includes more than 380 specific recommendations, spread across the cross-cutting themes of sustainability, innovation, human capital, market development and competitiveness; as well as specific sectorial recommendations.
If these recommendations are implemented, the expert committee which drew up the Food Wise strategy believes that the following growth projections are achievable by 2025:
- Increasing the value of agri-food exports by 85% to €19 billion;
- Increasing the value added in the agri-food, fisheries and wood products sector by 70% to in excess of €13 billion;
- Increasing the value of primary production by 65% to almost €10 billion;
- The creation of an additional 23,000 direct jobs in the agri-food sector all along the supply chain from primary production to high value added product development.
Realising these growth projections will be challenging, but I am confident that they can be achieved. Last week I chaired the first meeting of the High Level Implementation Committee for Food Wise 2025, including senior executives from relevant state agencies and Government Departments. I am committed to putting in place a robust implementation process, which will be influenced by the final Environmental Report on the strategy. As the Food Wise report states, "environmental protection and economic competitiveness are equal and complementary: one cannot be achieved at the expense of the other". Therefore sustainability will be at the core of the strategy’s implementation.
38. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the tonnage of Irish beef that has been exported to China and the United States of America since January 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34211/15]
View answerIreland received a major reputational boost for its beef this year as the first EU Member State to gain access to the US. The Chinese authorities decided in February 2015 to lift the BSE ban on boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age from Ireland making us the first EU MS to achieve this goal. This move, while very significant, does not permit trade to commence and my Department is working closely with its counterparts in China to conclude the necessary technical steps, which need to be completed before trade commences. The US market was opened to Irish beef exports in January 2015. Feedback from exporters eligible to export beef to the US indicates that exports to date had reached approximately 330 tonnes by early September. This would have an approximate value of €2.1m. This is a very encouraging start, particularly given that the trade to date is confined to the market for intact cuts as we currently await approval to export beef intended for grinding. It must be remembered that only two plants were eligible to export up to mid-May and June respectively. There are now six plants approved to export and my understanding is that this momentum in exports will continue and grow right through to the end of 2015. As with any new market it takes time to build reputational brand and a customer base and the real time to assess its value is when these are bedded down.
More importantly the relatively high prices available for beef in Europe this year means that US buyers can be priced out of the market and Irish exporters are choosing to send product to more valuable markets in the UK and on the continent. Exports to the UK are up 4,000t compared with the same period in 2014 and this coincides with a reduced kill overall (back about 6% year on year) highlighting further the strength of Irish beef exports in the UK. This of course is helped by a strong sterling and weak euro.
Overall, 2015 has been a very positive year for beef prices in Ireland with the yearly average to date almost 10% up on last year; €4.04 for an R3 steer excluding vat, compared to €3.70 in 2014, a 10% increase. Prices last week are 10% up on the same week last year notwithstanding recent price decreases. Ireland is currently at 104% of the EU 15 price and 107% of the EU 28 price.
There has also been significant progress in facilitating trade in other international markets for Irish beef. For example I recently concluded an extension to our market access to the Philippines, where already this year there has been almost €10 m of beef exports from Ireland , making us the second largest exporter of beef into the Philippines. Furthermore we are currently in the process of trying to secure beef access to other third countries including Korea, Vietnam and Mexico. It is my intention to continue to focus on developing as many third country markets as possible in order to provide exporters with as many commercial opportunities as possible in a competitive global marketplace.
39. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if an increase in rent support will be facilitated for a person (details supplied) in County Kildare given that the person's rent has now increased to €1,300 per month; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34748/15]
View answerThe Department has not, to date, received an application for Rent Supplement from the client concerned. They should forward same to be assessed for entitlement to the Mid-Leinster Rent Unit, Po Box 11758, Dublin 24.
