Fiona O'Loughlin
Question:668. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11996/17]
View answerState Bodies
Questions (668)
Written answers
The Irish National Stud Company Limited is a commercial State Body. The appointment of a Chief Executive officer is a matter for the Board of the Irish National Stud, subject to the consent of the relevant Ministers. I understand a recruitment competition is currently underway.
The current CEO has announced that he is stepping down from the position. I am aware that he has done an excellent job as CEO of the INS and I want to add my voice to the many tributes that are being paid to him. I understand that the INS Board wishes to extend the current CEO's contract for a limited period to facilitate a smooth transition to a new CEO and I am open to considering this taking into account with Government policy and guidelines.
Bord na gCon
Questions (669)
Peter Burke
Question:669. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the financial arrangement with a State agency (details supplied) in the interests of transparency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11196/17]
View answerWritten answers
Bord na gCon is a commercial State body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.
Matters relating to the operation of a particular stadium are operational matters for that organisation. Bord na gCon has informed me that the agreement between Bord na gCon and SIS involving Mullingar Greyhound Stadium is considered commercially sensitive.
I understand that in order to support the race schedule in Mullingar, Bord na gCon provided prize money grant assistance of €342,881.25 in 2016 which accounted for 1083 races over 107 meetings.
GLAS Applications
Questions (670)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:670. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a GLAS 3 application by a person (details supplied); when the person will receive confirmation of acceptance into the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11271/17]
View answerWritten answers
An application to the third Tranche of GLAS (GLAS 3) for the person named was received in my Department on the 14 December 2016. The application is one of almost 14,000 applications submitted as part of this third Tranche of the GLAS scheme.
During the pre-approval validation checking process an issue was identified in relation to the documentation submitted for the Rare Breed action. Department officials are examining this issue with a view to finalising the pre approval validation process as soon as possible. The person named will be notified in writing of the outcome of their GLAS 3 application.
GLAS Payments
Questions (671)
Joe Carey
Question:671. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in payment of GLAS 2 for a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; when payment will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11291/17]
View answerWritten answers
The person named was approved into GLAS 2 with a contract commencement date of 1 January 2016.
During the 2016 prepayment checking process an issue presented on the computerised crosscheck of Department databases. 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.
Farm Retirement Scheme
Questions (672)
Peter Burke
Question:672. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to reintroduce the farm retirement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11301/17]
View answerWritten answers
The Farmers' Early Retirement Scheme was suspended in 2008. It was reopened briefly in September 2009, with limited additional funding, to accommodate farmers who had applications completed or close to completion at the time of suspension. There are no plans to re-open this scheme or introduce another similar scheme at this time.
In terms of encouraging generational change, my Department’s focus under the 2014 -2020 Rural Development Programme (RDP) is for an enhanced capital investment scheme for young trained farmers. This new Scheme provides grant aid at a rate of 60% of the cost of the investment, compared to the standard grant rate of 40%, and is an important support and encouragement to young farmers starting in agriculture for the first time. These incentives under the RDP are designed to complement the other incentives under Pillar I of the Common Agricultural Policy, namely the Young Farmer Scheme and the National Reserve. Separately, the Government has also introduced a range of taxation measures aimed at young farmers. These measures are designed to assist with farm succession and increase land mobility.
Agriculture Scheme Appeals
Questions (673)
Seán Fleming
Question:673. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when an appeal will be held for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11309/17]
View answerWritten answers
The person named submitted an application under the 2015 National Reserve ‘Old Young Farmer’ category to my Department. This application was not successful as the person named was deemed to have commenced his agricultural activity prior to the eligible period of 1 January 2008 to 31st December 2009 as required under the ‘Old Young Farmer’ category of the 2015 National Reserve. The person named was notified of this decision in writing and offered the opportunity to submit an appeal of this decision.
The person named subsequently submitted an appeal. This appeal was considered on the basis of the information provided and the records held by my Department. The outcome of the appeal was that the original decision was upheld. The person named was notified of this decision in writing on 4th July 2016 and was offered the opportunity to submit a further appeal to the Basic Payment Scheme Appeals Committee.
The person named submitted this further appeal. The Agricultural Appeals Office is currently dealing with National Reserve appeals cases and will be in direct contact with the person named regarding his appeal.
GLAS Applications
Questions (674)
Joe Carey
Question:674. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason with regard to a GLAS 3 application by a person (details supplied), protection of watercourses was not an option; if adjoining landowners using the river in question qualified for this option; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11317/17]
View answerWritten answers
The person named was approved for participation into GLAS 3 with a contract commencement date of 1 January 2017.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the competent authority in defining water courses. The EPA provided spatial datasets to my Department and these datasets were built into the GLAS online system which allowed for watercourses to be identified on the holdings of farmers. Watercourses were presented on this basis on the GLAS online system at the time of preparing GLAS applications.
The GLAS 3 application of the person named was assessed based on the actions submitted to my Department.
Laboratory Facilities
Questions (675)
Eamon Scanlon
Question:675. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is accepting submissions from the public on the network of regional veterinary laboratories; if so, the date from which the consultation has been open to submissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11320/17]
View answerWritten answers
My Department commissioned a Working Group led by Prof. Alan Reilly to undertake a comprehensive review of the Department’s Laboratories. The Group has presented a report to the Department, which makes various recommendations for the strategic development of the laboratories. This includes options for the future development of the Department's Regional Laboratories – with a view to improving disease investigative and surveillance capability but with the over-riding imperative of maintaining and enhancing services to farmers.
My Department is currently consulting with all relevant stakeholders. An initial round of internal consultation with staff and their representative bodies concluded last week. Consultative meetings with local representatives of the main farming organisations were held to coincide with meetings with staff at each of the regional laboratories. At national level, the Department has written to each of the main farming organisations, other relevant representative bodies and state agencies (who avail of the services and expertise provided by the Department's Laboratories) - providing each with copy of the Working Group Report, inviting comments and offering to meet to discuss their views. It is hoped to convene these consultative meetings over the next few weeks.
A decision on any of the recommendations will await the outcome of this consultative process. In the case of the Regional Veterinary Laboratories, any decision will also be informed by a cost benefit analysis of the various options that have been proposed for their future development.
Agriculture Scheme Payments
Questions (676)
Brendan Griffin
Question:676. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total CAP payments made to persons during 2016, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11329/17]
View answerWritten answers
The information requested is not yet available but is currently being compiled. It will be forwarded to the Deputy directly as soon as it is finalised.
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
Agriculture Schemes
Questions (677, 694)
Marc MacSharry
Question:677. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address matters with regard to the low-cost loans facilitated through €150 million in EU finance under the auspices of the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland and being underwritten and administered by a bank (details supplied). [11349/17]
View answerMarc MacSharry
Question:694. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the €150 million in EU funds being made available as low-cost finance to farmers through the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland; the application process and criteria; the number of applications that have been received to date and the value; the number of applicants that have been approved and the value; the number of applications that have been declined and the value; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11545/17]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 677 and 694 together.
One of my priorities has been to address the impact of the change in the sterling exchange rate and lower commodity prices in some agriculture sectors, which have caused cash flow difficulties for farmers. Therefore I was pleased to facilitate the “Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme”, which was developed by my Department in co-operation with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) and makes €150 million available to farmers throughout Ireland at interest rates of 2.95%. Distributed and administered through AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank, the Scheme provides farmers with a low cost, flexible source of working capital and will allow them to pay down more expensive forms of short-term debt, ensuring the ongoing financial sustainability of viable farming enterprises.
The participating banks will report to the SBCI on a regular basis although no returns have been made as yet. Very strong interest has been reported and it is anticipated that official figures will be available shortly.
My Department is contributing €25million in total, including €11 million from the EU’s ‘exceptional adjustment aid for milk and other livestock farmers’ and €14 million in national funding. SBCI uses the €25 million to leverage the fund, i.e. the other €125 million is being provided by the ‘finance providers’ (AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank). SBCI are not providing funding but, along with the European Investment Fund’s ‘COSME’ (the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs), is providing the guarantee required to underpin the loan’s flexibility and lower the cost of the loans.
The public money is used primarily for two purposes, an interest rate subsidy and a guarantee. Approximately an equal amount of money goes towards both. The interest rate subsidy is paid to the finance providers and the guarantee amount is retained by the SBCI to be used in the event of defaults. Defaults in the agriculture sector are traditionally low and any unused guarantee funds will be repaid to the Department.
Harbours and Piers Funding
Questions (678)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:678. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of investment in a project (details supplied) from commencement date of the project to 2011, inclusive, by year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11372/17]
View answerWritten answers
Greencastle Harbour is owned by Donegal County Council and responsibility for its development, repair and maintenance rests with that Local Authority in the first instance and its parent Department, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
A project to construct a breakwater in Greencastle Harbour commenced in 2007 and was jointly funded by my Department (contributing 75% funding), Donegal County Council (contributing 12.5% funding), and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (contributing 12.5% funding).
From 2006 to 2011, funding of €6.675m was invested in this project by my Department through the Local Authority element of its Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, see the following table.
|
Year |
Expenditure €m |
|
2006 |
€0.061m |
|
2007 |
€1.153m |
|
2008 |
€3.797m |
|
2009 |
€1.203m |
|
2010 |
€0.064m |
|
2011 |
€0.397m |
|
Total |
€6.675m |
On the 10th February 2012 my Department officially handed back the Greencastle Harbour Project to Donegal County Council following completion of the works to safeguard the breakwater works undertaken.
My Department continues to provide limited funding for the development and repair of Local Authority owned piers, harbours and slipways around our coastline under the annual Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme subject to available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities.
In recent years Local Authority projects under this programme are capped at a total project expenditure of €150,000 to ensure an appropriate geographic spread of funding for works across all the coastal Counties. The total funding available for Local Authority projects under the 2017 programme is €2.5m
I am happy to advise the Deputy that since 2011 a further €0.214m in funds has been made available for developments at Greencastle, and any application submitted by Donegal County Council in respect of Greencastle Harbour under future Local Authority capital programmes, will be given consideration in the context of the criteria set out, available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities.
Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Payments
Questions (679)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:679. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the payments that are outstanding to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; the reason for the delay in payments being issued; when he expects that payments will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11377/17]
View answerWritten answers
An application under the 2016 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme was received from the person named on 27 April 2016.
The Terms and Conditions of the 2016 ANC scheme state that under EU Regulation 21/2004, all flock owners/sheep keepers are obliged to count the sheep in their flock on their holding, record this number in the flock register and thereafter are obliged to return this number to my Department via the annual Sheep/Goat Census return by the closing date of 29 January 2016 and before 16 May 2016 for ANC purposes.
The relevant sheep/goat census in this case was not received in my department until 23 May 2016.
An official from my Department has been in direct contact with the nominated agent for the person named regarding this matter and we are currently awaiting the submission of additional information.
Livestock Inspections
Questions (680)
Brendan Smith
Question:680. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all valuers that are on his Department's approved list of valuers in respect of the depopulation of part or full herds due to disease are experienced in the cattle trade and in the sale and purchase of animals and up to date with livestock valuations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11378/17]
View answerWritten answers
Following a competitive tender process, my department issued contracts to 73 valuers from 1 November 2016. Tenders were evaluated on the technical and professional abilities identified by the candidates in their application, and on a demonstration of their expertise in the area of bovine livestock evaluation and assessment. Valuers also undertook training before the start of their contract and are required under the Terms and Conditions of their contract to keep up to date with market prices and trends in livestock breeding. I am satisfied that all these factors combine to ensure that valuers are qualified to carry out their role under the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme.
Livestock Inspections
Questions (681)
Brendan Smith
Question:681. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average time in having cattle removed from a farm following positive tests that necessitate partial or full depopulation of herds; the timeframe his Department adheres to in having a second valuation carried out when the person refuses to accept the first valuation; if there have been incidents of diseased animals remaining on farms for undue periods due to delays on his Department's part in finalising valuations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11379/17]
View answerWritten answers
In 2016 the average number of days for reactors to be removed was 27.9 days which is below the legal requirement of 30 days set down in EU legislation. My Department endeavours to have reactors removed from a holding as quickly as possible and, indeed, it provides a fully State funded reactor removal service to facilitate this. However, there are many factors beyond the control of my Department which may delay the removal of reactors. These include delays on the part of the herdowner in accepting a valuation, the need to comply with EU regulations prohibiting the transport of animals in late stages of pregnancy or having recently calved, the medication of animals shortly before the skin test etc. My Department does not believe that such delays constitute a risk to other animals in the herds because farmers are required by law to segregate reactors from the rest of the herd and to take other biosecurity precautions thereby mitigating the risk of the spread of disease.
TAMS Applications
Questions (682)
Kevin O'Keeffe
Question:682. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a TAMS II application in respect of persons (details supplied). [11410/17]
View answerWritten answers
The persons named are in a Registered Farm Partnership and they applied for grant-aid under the Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme in TAMS II. Approval issued from the local office on 6 December 2016. A further copy of the approval letter has been sent for their information.