Written Answers Nos. 517-541
517. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); the status of the payment that was due in December 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8082/17]
View answerThe person named commenced their AEOS 2 contract on 1st September 2011. Payment issued in respect of the 2011-2015 Scheme years.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System must take place before payments can issue. As 2016 is the final scheme year of payment for the person named, re-checks on payments made for all scheme years must be completed before final payment can be processed. It is expected that these checks will be completed shortly and payments due will issue then.
518. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of green certificate courses which were scheduled to take place in 2017 that have been subsequently cancelled by county, in tabular form; the number of young farmers that had enrolled in each course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8083/17]
View answerThe Green Cert is delivered on a full-time, part-time and distance education basis by Teagasc education staff. Teagasc has enrolled over 4,500 learners to its Green Cert programme in the years 2014 to 2016. I understand that Teagasc would hope to offer up to 1,000 Green Cert places in 2017. A request for 15 new temporary teaching posts was recently approved by my Department to assist delivery. I understand that Teagasc intend to deploy a substantial number of these posts to respond to the acute demand in the Northwest and Northeast regions. It brings the total amount of temporary Green Cert teachers approved since 2014 to 85. The scheduling of Green Cert courses is exclusively an operational matter for Teagasc. I am advised by Teagasc that no Green Cert courses were scheduled and subsequently cancelled in 2017.
519. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in issuing a payment that a person (details supplied) was due to receive in early December 2016 and has not received to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8084/17]
View answerThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of the 1 October 2015.
The first payment due to the person named is in respect of the 2016 scheme year. During the prepayment checks in respect of 2016 an issue was identified in relation to the Protection of Watercourses from Bovines action. Department officials are actively working to resolve this issue with a view to further processing the application for the 2016 payment as soon as possible.
520. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the growing international concern regarding the increasing use of hydrogen peroxide in the treatment of sea lice and amoebic gill disease in salmon farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8123/17]
View answer521. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department or any agency of his Department monitors the use of hydrogen peroxide in salmon farms here; and if so, the aggregate amount of hydrogen peroxide used by salmon farms in each of the past ten years. [8124/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 520 and 521 together.
My Department is advised by the Marine Institute that hydrogen peroxide, as a fish disease treatment agent, readily breaks down through water and oxygen and as such represents an extremely low environmental concern. The Marine Institute has also advised that hydrogen peroxide treatments have a more favourable outcome when they are carried out at lower water temperatures.
My Department's Veterinary Inspectorate carries out an inspection programme to monitor the use of animal remedies in aquaculture premises. Compliance with animal remedies legislation is checked. While individual business operators are required to maintain records relating to the quantities of medicines used, my Department does not record empirical data on the quantities of hydrogen peroxide used.
522. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) with regard to aquaculture licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8127/17]
View answerSection 13 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, 1997 sets down timeframes within which the Minister shall endeavour to determine an application for an aquaculture licence.
However, in the absence of a commencement order, there is no statutory timeframe in force for the determination of applications for aquaculture licences under the Act. The commencement of Section 13 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997 is a matter which is kept under ongoing review by my Department in light of recent advances and development in environmental legislation.
Applications for aquaculture licences are considered by my Department in accordance with the provisions of the relevant national and EU legislation, which is quite extensive.
The licensing process also involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisors as well as various statutory consultees. The legislation also provides for a period of public consultation.
The average timeframe for processing each licence application varies depending on location, species, scale and intensity of production, statutory status of sites, potential visual impact etc. Other factors include consideration of any submissions or observations raised during the public consultation period.
523. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the criteria that apply to adding areas in the review of the areas of natural constraint scheme under the specific constraints criteria; if a public consultation or a consultation with stakeholders will take place in regard to proposed areas of specific constraint before the revised areas of natural constraint maps are finalised and before paragraph 5(a) of Article 32 of EU Regulation 1305/2013 is complied with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8138/17]
View answerArticle 32 of EU Regulation 1305/2013 requires all member states to implement a new system for designating eligible areas under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme from 2018 at the latest. At present, eligible land under the scheme is designated by reference to criteria such as stocking density, family farm income, population density and the percentage of the working population engaged in agriculture.
Under the new system of designation which must be introduced in 2018, eligible areas will have to be designated on the basis of biophysical criteria. The criteria set out in the legislation are:
- Low temperature
- Dryness
- Excess soil moisture
- Limited soil drainage
- Unfavourable texture and stoniness
- Shallow rooting depth
- Poor chemical properties
- Steep slope.
My Department has commenced work on this project, and relevant technical experts are currently sourcing and analysing the data in relation to the new criteria. This analysis will identify areas deemed to be facing natural constraints, which will in parallel be subjected to a refinement process.
Once this process is complete, the draft data will provide the basis for the identification of eligible areas for ANC which in turn will be used in any assessment of a new ANC scheme from 2018 onwards. It is envisaged that stakeholders will be consulted as this process develops.
524. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons who have not yet received their first payment under GLAS for 2016; the reason for the delay in payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8139/17]
View answerTo date, some 29,700 farmers have been paid a total of €106m under GLAS. GLAS payment has issued to over 80% of scheme participants entitled to a payment in the 2016 scheme year. Payments continue to be processed on an ongoing basis and will issue on a weekly basis as the remaining 7,236 cases are cleared for payment.
525. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has issued any guidelines on the optimum sustainable management of heather and other palatable vegetation on uplands and commonages; if these can be accessed online by an alternative method; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8142/17]
View answerCommonage farmers who wished to join GLAS, which is Pillar 2 scheme under the 2014 – 2020 Rural Development Programme, received priority access into the scheme and for their commonage lands they receive a payment rate of €120 per hectare. The payment rate is based on the significant agri-environment benefits that arise from appropriate management of commonage lands which represent over 400,000 hectares of land in Ireland with approximately 15,000 farmers making an annual Basic Payment Claim application on commonage lands.
Any commonage farmer who opts to join GLAS, which is voluntary scheme, must sign up to the Commonage Management Plans (CMP) being drawn up by approved GLAS advisors for the commonages on which they have a share. The CMP is drawn up in consultation with each of the GLAS participants. An integral part of the management plan is to determine the appropriate stocking rate that each GLAS participant must meet annually to ensure that the commonage is appropriately grazed with each participant required to have a grazing enterprise on an annual basis. In addition, the GLAS Advisors in consultation with the GLAS participants may outline other management activities that may be required on the commonage, for example control of dumping and/or invasive species to ensure that the agri-environment benefits of commonage can be maximised. In August 2015, the Department released a Guide to the completion of the GLAS Commonage Plan with the Department's online Commonage Management Plan system to be released shortly.
With regard to land eligibility, the Department issues detailed requirements each scheme year in the Basic Payment Scheme Terms and Conditions booklet, which issues to all applicants under the various area-based schemes.
526. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has developed, in consultation with Teagasc, guidelines for the rejuvenation of totally destocked uplands by putting livestock on them that will make these under-grazed uplands sustainable going into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8143/17]
View answerCommonage farmers who wished to join GLAS, which is Pillar 2 scheme under the 2014 – 2020 Rural Development Programme, received priority access into the scheme and for their commonage lands they receive a payment rate of €120 per hectare. The payment rate is based on the significant agri-environment benefits that arise from appropriate management of commonage lands which represent over 400,000 hectares of land in Ireland with approximately 15,000 farmers making an annual Basic Payment Claim application on commonage lands.
Any commonage farmer who opts to join GLAS, which is a voluntary scheme, must sign up to the Commonage Management Plans (CMP) being drawn up by approved GLAS advisors for the commonages on which they have a share. The CMP is drawn up in consultation with each of the GLAS participants. An integral part of the management plan is to determine the appropriate stocking rate that each GLAS participant must meet annually to ensure that the commonage is appropriately grazed with each participant required to have a grazing enterprise on an annual basis. In addition, the GLAS Advisors in consultation with the GLAS participants may outline other management activities that may be required on the commonage, for example control of dumping and/or invasive species to ensure that the agri-environment benefits of commonage can be maximised. In August 2015, the Department released a Guide to the completion of the GLAS Commonage Plan with the Department's online Commonage Management Plan system to be released shortly. This guide was drawn up following consultation with GLAS Advisors with the objective of ensuring that commonage lands are appropriately grazed and managed.
With regard to land eligibility, the Department issues detailed requirements each scheme year in the Basic Payment Scheme Terms and Conditions booklet, which issues to all applicants under the various area-based schemes.
527. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken by his Department to minimise the risk of severe damage by fire on abandoned uplands, mountains and commonages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8144/17]
View answerI am very aware of the damage that uncontrolled fires can do to private land and the risk they pose to private property. There is also the risk to the health and safety of staff from the fire services and other volunteers when they attempt to bring the fires under control.
As a result of significant fire damage to forestry plantations some years ago, the Forest Service of my Department has overseen a number of initiatives in efforts to educate farmers and land owners of the legality and the risks of burning vegetation, while alerting forest owners and managers to the dangers.
A code of practice for safe, legal burning was developed and published by my Department. As well as the production of the Code, a number of training courses, seminars and demonstration events have taken place, in conjunction with local farming associations, Gardaí, Emergency Services and Local Authorities.
The Forest Service also issues Forest Fire Risk Warnings periodically during the main wildfire risk season from February through to July. These warnings provide forest owners and managers with advance warning of high risk weather conditions, alerting them to the need for extra vigilance and allowing them to take appropriate readiness and mitigation measures in advance of fire outbreaks.
In 2016, in advance of a high risk period, my Department sent a text message to all hill farmers who had registered for the Department's text messaging service, warning them of the danger of starting fires on their land.
The Helpsheet and Terms and Conditions booklet for the Basic Payment Scheme and other area-based schemes, which issues to approximately 130,000 farmers annually, contains a section detailing the requirements for and the dangers of burning vegetation.
The burning of vegetation is controlled by the Wildlife Acts. It is an offence under Section 40 of the Wildlife Act, 1976 (amended by Section 46 of the Wildlife Act, 2000) to burn, from 1st March to 31st August in any year, any vegetation growing on any land not then cultivated. Individuals who are found to burn vegetation within that prohibited period are liable to prosecution by An Garda Síochána or by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Applicants under the Basic Payment Scheme and other area-based schemes are obliged to comply with Cross Compliance which includes requirements in relation to the burning of vegetation. Where an applicant is found, at inspection or on receipt of a Cross Report from NPWS, to have breached theses requirements a penalty can be applied to payments due under these schemes.
528. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if persons that have committed to the eradication of Japanese knotweed as part of their GLAS plans will be released from this commitment due to the withdrawal by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs of its best practice guidelines on this matter in November 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8146/17]
View answerThe eradication of Japanese Knotweed is not an action under the GLAS scheme.
Where the GLAS advisor prepares a Sustainable Management Plan (SMP) for designated Special Areas of Conservation or Special Protection Areas and that plan includes the management of Japanese Knotweed to protect the integrity of the site, the SMP must be complied with.
529. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8169/17]
View answerThe person named commenced their AEOS 2 contract on 1st September 2011. Payment issued in respect of the 2011-2015 Scheme years.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System must take place before payments can issue. As 2016 is the final scheme year of payment for the person named, re-checks on payments made for all scheme years must be completed before final payment can be processed. It is expected that these checks will be completed shortly and payments due will issue then.
530. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all the provisions of the Forestry Act 2014 have been implemented; if not, when all provisions will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8176/17]
View answerIt is intended to commence the Forestry Act, 2014, and bring into effect the related regulations before Easter 2017. The forestry regulations are complete and will be signed at the same time as the Commencement Order for the Act.
531. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the setting up of a betting committee within Horse Racing Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8195/17]
View answerHorse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, and is responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry.
I have been informed by Horse Racing Ireland that the Board of Horse Racing Ireland have a process in place to appoint the Betting Committee made up of nominees from the Irish National Professional Bookmakers Association, the Irish Bookmakers Association, betting intermediaries and Tote Ireland together with one further nominee to be selected by HRI. This process to establish the Committee is expected to conclude in the coming weeks.
532. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the closure of Harold's Cross greyhound stadium; the discussions he has had with the Irish Greyhound Board in this regard to ensure its continued opening and safeguard dependent jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8222/17]
View answerBord na gCon has statutory responsibility for the development of the greyhound racing industry. In that context, it runs commercial operations in a number or greyhound stadia, including Harold's Cross.
In 2014, against the background of reducing income for the organisation through the recession, and a significant debt burden, my Department commissioned an independent report into certain matters relating to Bord na gCon, including its financial performance and prospects. That report provided a road map for the sustainable development of the greyhound sector, and in that context recommended a number of asset disposals, including Harold's Cross, in order to reduce the debt burden.
I understand that Bord na gCon, having considered the matter, and having regard to the recommendations in the Indecon Report, has decided to cease racing at Harold's Cross Stadium and initiate the sale of the stadium in order to reduce its debt levels and increase its capacity to provide support and assistance to the industry.
While this is very regrettable, its view is that there is no other option if the burden of debt on the organisation is to be reduced in any meaningful way. I understand that its intention is to transfer the Harold's Cross racing schedule to Shelbourne Park, a few kilometres away, and that all 12 staff at Harold's Cross will be offered redeployment.
533. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the recommendations of the report on the Irish greyhound industry by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine will be implemented; the reason for the delay in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8223/17]
View answerBord na gCon is a commercial State body, established in 1958 under the Greyhound Industry act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.
Bord na gCon has assured me that it continues to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on the greyhound industry in January 2016. Indeed many of these recommendations were also made by Indecon with considerable progress made on those recommendations and more recently on the recommendations in the Morris report.
With regard to the report of the Joint Committee in particular and in line with its recommendations, Bord na gCon has informed me that the following developments have been carried out:
1. Three meetings of the National greyhound consultative forum held to date with the next meeting due in March this year.
2. Bord na gCon has secured three separate media contracts that generate €0.5m per annum thereby increasing Tote turnover.
3. Bord na gCon, on its website, offers regular updates in respect of re-homing, welfare and regulatory matters.
4. Prizemoney and racing supports have been increased by €1.4m in 2016.
5. Bord na gCon is currently investing in upgrading its laboratory testing infrastructure.
Additional recommendations will be addressed in new greyhound legislation which I will shortly be bringing to Government.
534. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the Irish Greyhound Board will publish its 2015 annual reports; the reason the board has not produced those reports to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8224/17]
View answerThe 2015 audited accounts for Bord na gCon have been submitted to my Department and are currently before Government for noting. When noted by Government the accounts will be laid before the houses of the Oireachtas and can then be published.
535. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment under the GLAS scheme will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8225/17]
View answerThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of the 1 October 2015 and has received full entitlements in respect of the 2015 scheme year.
During the prepayment checks in respect of the 2016 scheme year an issue presented on the computerised crosscheck. Department officials are actively working to resolve this issue with a view to further processing the application for the 2016 payment as soon as possible.
536. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of persons who had received no 2016 AEOS payment by 1 January 2017, in view of the commitment to have all AEOS payments issued by the end of 2016. [8227/17]
View answerUnder the EU regulations governing the Scheme payments cannot begin to issue until after 15 October each year, at the earliest. In addition, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System must take place before payments can issue. As 2016 was the final scheme year for AEOS 2 participants, recheck on payments for all scheme years must be completed before final payments can be processed.
Once applications have successfully passed these checks they are processed for payment. All applicants who successfully passed the required checks were processed before year end.
There were approximately 8,600 active applicants in AEOS at the 31st December 2016. Approximately, 5,300 applicants received their 2016 AEOS payments before year end. Of the remaining 3,300 applicants, 1,016 have been issued payments since the beginning of this year, with payments continuing on a weekly basis as cases are cleared.
537. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of 2016 AEOS payments issued each week in 2017 for each county in tabular form; the number of persons in County Cork now waiting for their payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8228/17]
View answerA total of 1,016 AEOS 2016 payments have issued since the beginning of the year. There are currently 118 applicants awaiting 2016 payments in Cork. Under the EU regulations governing the Scheme and other area based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System must take place before payments can issue. As 2016 is the final scheme year of payment for AEOS 2 participants, recheck on payments for all scheme years must be completed before final payments can be processed. Once applications have successfully passed these checks they will be processed for payment.
|
County |
Numbers Paid |
Numbers Paid |
Numbers Paid |
Numbers Paid |
Numbers Paid |
Numbers Paid |
Numbers Paid |
|
06/01/2017 |
13/01/2017 |
20/01/2017 |
27/01/2017 |
03/02/2017 |
10/02/2017 |
17/02/2017 |
|
|
Carlow |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
30 |
0 |
5 |
|
Clare |
0 |
22 |
0 |
6 |
44 |
1 |
4 |
|
Cork |
0 |
34 |
13 |
18 |
14 |
0 |
22 |
|
Donegal |
0 |
21 |
4 |
43 |
63 |
2 |
60 |
|
Dublin |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Galway |
0 |
31 |
16 |
18 |
73 |
51 |
74 |
|
Kerry |
0 |
16 |
1 |
2 |
31 |
13 |
33 |
|
Kildare |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
|
Kilkenny |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
|
Laois |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
|
Leitrim |
0 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
|
Limerick |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
3 |
|
Longford |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Louth |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Mayo |
0 |
26 |
3 |
20 |
18 |
5 |
2 |
|
Meath |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Monaghan |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Offaly |
0 |
5 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
|
Roscommon |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
|
Sligo |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
Tipperary |
0 |
10 |
1 |
2 |
7 |
2 |
1 |
|
Waterford |
0 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Wexford |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
|
Totals |
0 |
205 |
47 |
120 |
344 |
84 |
216 |
538. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Question No. 249 of 25 January 2017, when payments will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8232/17]
View answerI regret due to technical issues that an Organic Farming Scheme letter of approval and payment to the person concerned has not yet issued.
I am assured however that the approval letter will issue within the next two weeks with payment to issue shortly thereafter. In the meantime, I have arranged for an official from my Department to contact the person named and to explain the position further.
539. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for the future of the Harold's Cross greyhound stadium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8237/17]
View answerBord na gCon has statutory responsibility for the development of the greyhound racing industry. In that context, it runs commercial operations in a number or greyhound stadia, including Harold's Cross.
In 2014, against the background of reducing income for the organisation through the recession, and a significant debt burden, my Department commissioned an independent report into certain matters relating to Bord na gCon, including its financial performance and prospects. That report provided a road map for the sustainable development of the greyhound sector, and in that context recommended a number of asset disposals, including Harold's Cross, in order to reduce the debt burden.
I understand that Bord na gCon, having considered the matter, and having regard to the recommendations in the Indecon Report, has decided to cease racing at Harold's Cross and initiate the sale of the stadium in order to reduce its debt levels and increase its capacity to provide support and assistance to the industry.
While this is very regrettable, its view is that there is no other option if the burden of debt on the organisation is to be reduced in any meaningful way. I understand that its intention is to transfer the Harold's Cross racing schedule to Shelbourne Park, a few kilometres away, and that all 12 staff at Harold's Cross will be offered redeployment.
540. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the legislation governing the sale, importation and welfare of exotic animals; his plans to update this legislation; if a record exists of such animal imports; and if so, the location that such records are published. [8260/17]
View answerThe Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 makes provision for the welfare, including during a sale, of all animals. In animal welfare terms there are no specific regulations concerning “exotic animals”. The conditions under which they are kept and managed comes under the scope of the sections 11 and 12 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which contain the rules relating to the welfare of all animals and require a person having an animal under his or her control to safeguard and not endanger it's health and welfare.
A number of EU Directives and regulations address trade in, and imports to the EU of common domestic species such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses, poultry and domestic dogs and cats. Trade in and imports to the EU of certain 'other' live animals are provided for under EU Council Directive 92/65/EEC (the “Balai Directive”). This Directive includes certain categories of hoofed animals (e.g. llamas, alpacas, giraffe, antelope), cats and dogs and ferrets (for commercial imports only) and certain carnivorous species (e.g. mink and foxes, big cat species), bees, apes, rabbits and hares, and birds other than poultry. The Balai Directive harmonised the rules for trade within and imports into the EU of the species within its scope and established the animal health guarantees needed for the trade in these animals between EU Member States.
The Directive also sets out special provisions for the registration and authorisation of Bodies, Institutes or Centres engaged in the intra-Community movement of animals falling within the scope of this legislation such as zoos.
TRACES (TRAde Control and Expert System) is the online management tool for all EU Member States on intra-EU trade and importation of animals, semen and embryo, food, feed and plants. It therefore serves as a record of movements of animals between EU Member States.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) regulates international trade in close to 35,000 species of plants and animals, including their parts and derivatives, ensuring their survival in the wild with benefits for the livelihoods of local people and the global environment. The CITES permit system seeks to ensure that international trade in listed species is sustainable, legal and traceable.
The Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is the Cites Management Authority for Ireland and submits an annual report to the CITES Secretariat containing all Imports and Exports of CITES listed specimens. This can be found on www.cites.org. Under the terms of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, no CITES Import/Export Permit is required for the movement of a CITES listed specimen within the EU. A CITES import permit is required from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, and a CITES export permit is required from the country of origin, should the CITES specimens come from outside the EU.
541. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in transferring herd entitlements to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8272/17]
View answerThe first named person submitted a 2016 Transfer of Entitlements application to my Department seeking the transfer of entitlements by inheritance as a transferee. This transfer has not yet been finalised as supporting documentation is outstanding.
My Department has been in further contact with the legal representatives of the first named person with regard to resolving the outstanding issues in relation to the outstanding documentation. Once this documentation is received the transfer can be finalised.
