Written Answers Nos. 754-778
754. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to an advertisement for a horse abattoir (details supplied); if his officials have made an inspection of the premises; the number of horse only abattoirs here; if it is within the terms of a licence to destroy and-or put down a horse due to inability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11063/20]
View answerThere are currently two establishments approved by my Department to operate as equine slaughter plants under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin on the hygiene of foodstuffs.
The slaughter process and the handling of animals destined for slaughter takes place under strictly supervised conditions. My Department has a permanent presence in each of the slaughter plants under its supervision and Department staff, with the assistance of temporary veterinary inspectors engaged on a contract basis, carry out regular checks as part of official regulatory controls.
All slaughter plants whose meat is destined for human consumption must meet the requirements set out in detailed EU regulations relating to food safety and animal health and welfare. Primary responsibility for compliance with these regulatory requirements rests in the first instance with food business operators. In addition, each of the slaughter establishments under the supervision of my Department has a qualified animal welfare officer who oversees the welfare of the animals at the time of slaughter.
755. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount invested into the breakwater project adjoined to Greencastle Harbour, County Donegal; the reason this incomplete project was stalled; and when the large investment to date will be justified by the completion of the breakwater. [11192/20]
View answerGreencastle Harbour is owned by Donegal County Council and responsibility for its maintenance and development rests with that Local Authority in the first instance and its parent Department, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government thereafter.
My Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl under statute. In addition, my Department also has responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of North Harbour at Cape Clear, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland, in accordance with the Marine Works (Ireland) Act 1902, and piers, lights and beacons constructed under the auspices of the Congested Districts Board.
As indicated, my legislative remit does not extend to Greencastle Harbour, and given that the ownership of, and overall responsibility for Greencastle Harbour rests with the County Council, it is the Council who will decide if it wishes to carry out any further development, repair or maintenance of Greencastle Harbour.
My Department, in conjunction with Donegal County Council and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, co-funded phase one of a larger Greencastle Harbour development programme up to 2011, which involved the construction of a rock breakwater.
Funding of €8.35m was provided by my Department for this project between the years 2006 – 2010. As a result of prevailing economic conditions at the time, funding for capital projects was, of necessity, significantly reduced, limiting the monies available to the co-funding agencies for the project. Funding of €453,000 was provided in my Department’s 2011 capital programme to enable the project to be suspended in a safe and acceptable manner. In February 2012, my Department formally handed back responsibility for the Greencastle Harbour Project to Donegal County Council, following the completion of works to safeguard the partially constructed breakwater.
When Donegal County Council decide on the exact programme of works they wish to carry out, and the costing and timescale for those works, the matter can be considered further in the context of Government priorities and programmes.
My Department does provide limited funding to assist the 14 coastal Local Authorities in carrying out small scale projects for the development and repair of Local Authority owned piers, harbours and slipways under the annual Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, subject to available Exchequer funding and overall national priorities. Since 2010, Donegal County Council has received funding of €3.1m under this programme, with €335,155 of this funding having been allocated towards works at Greencastle Harbour.
I have approved funding of €3.1m for the Local Authority element of my Department’s 2020 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. Donegal County Council has secured funding of €433,500 under this programme, to undertake work on seven Harbour Development and four Marine Leisure projects. Of this funding, €90,000 has been allocated to repair works at Greencastle Harbour.
756. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts his Department and BIM have made to open the Chinese market to the green crab species carcinus maenus fished here. [11193/20]
View answerThe development of market access for products in third countries is kept under close review by my Department and I would encourage any seafood producers, or indeed other food producers, to contact my Department so that we can bring together the right supports and assistance, including through the network of embassies, to help promote Irish food abroad, where appropriate. Information on market requirements is currently made available for producers online: http://www.marketaccess.agriculture.gov.ie/
In 2019, the total value of all crab exports to China was €7.6 million with brown crab being the main product. Bord Bia, which is responsible for the promotion of Irish seafood in domestic and international markets, has advised that green crab is not currently a significant export product from Ireland and that it has not had requests for assistance from Irish exporters for that product.
I am advised however that the Seafood Protection Agency is working with the Vietnamese authorities to have Irish green crab added to the approved product lists for trade.
757. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a replacement payment will be provided for an agricultural payment made some time ago to a person (details supplied) which was never cashed; if so, when the payment will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11249/20]
View answerThe cattle headage scheme was EU-funded and, following the introduction of compulsory electronic payment to bank accounts in 2008, any funds relating to earlier payable orders that remained un-cashed after a maximum 6 year period were, on the direction of the EU Commission, surrendered back to the EU.
It is not possible, therefore, to reissue such payments in this case.
758. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will publish details regarding the remaining tranches of TAMS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11329/20]
View answerThe suite of seven measures available under TAMS II have been opened for applications on a rolling tranche-by-tranche basis. The closing date for Tranche 17 was extended to June 5 to facilitate applicants whose ability to apply may have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Tranche 18 of TAMS II opened on 6 June 2020 and will close for the receipt of applications on 7 August 2020.
No decision has been made as yet on the dates for remaining tranches.
759. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of chickens which have been culled as a result of the presence of bird flu H6N1 subtype following a recent outbreak per affected flock in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11330/20]
View answerThe total number of birds reported to the Department in the flocks affected by H6N1 Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza is 605,173 - broken down as follows:
|
Production system |
Number of flocks |
Number of birds |
|
Table egg layer (free range) |
8 |
77,336 |
|
Table egg layer (colony) |
3 |
517,835 |
|
Turkeys |
2 |
10,002 |
760. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications received as part of the beef exceptional aid measure scheme; the amount allocated as part of the scheme; his plans to utilise unspent moneys; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11331/20]
View answerThe objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) is to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. 34,517 applications were accepted for BEAM and 33,411 of these have received payments totalling €77.58m.
With regard to any unused funds from the scheme, I have already provided €85 million in supports for the beef sector in Budget 2020, on top of the €20 million provided last year for the BEEP pilot. This €85 million includes a €45 million provision for an extension to the BDGP (Beef Data and Genomics Programme). In addition to this, on Friday last I announced that the Government has provided an additional €50 million in exchequer funding for beef finishers to help them deal with the impact of COVID-19.
This year, the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme - Suckler (BEEP-S) has a budget of €35M and will deliver a maximum payment of €90 per suckler cow for the first 10 cows, and €80/head thereafter up to a maximum of 100 head/herd. This is a significant increase in the payment available compared to the BEEP Pilot in 2019 and 27,072 farmers have applied for the scheme, a 50% increase in participation from the previous year.
761. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce a new rural environment protection type scheme; if briefing or discussion papers produced by his Department for same will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11332/20]
View answerMy Department is involved in discussions on the future of agri-environment supports as part of consideration of the next CAP. However, it will not be possible to make final decisions until confirmation is available at EU and national level regarding budget and timeframe. Ireland has pressed for the earliest possible adoption of regulations, so that my Department may plan for the transitional period with legal and financial certainty and consequently provide clarity to farmers and rural communities as soon as possible.
Any extension to or replacement of schemes would be dependent on the appropriate budget being available, as well as sufficient time being available from the adoption of the legal framework to allow administrative provisions to be put in place. Ultimately, the shape of any future schemes will be a matter for the new Government taking into account the relevant legislative and budgetary framework.
762. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the planned sequence of actions for the reopening of exports of Irish beef to China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11333/20]
View answerOn 14 May, my Department identified a suspected case of 'Atypical BSE' in a 14-year old cow as a result of its surveillance of ‘fallen’ animals – these are on-farm deaths which are sent to a collection centre (knackery) for sampling and destruction. On 22 May, confirmatory tests carried out at my Department’s Central Veterinary Research Laboratory verified the suspect case as one of Atypical BSE. Atypical BSE is believed to occur spontaneously in all cattle populations at a very low rate and has only been identified in older cattle. There is no public health risk associated with this occurrence.
The OIE has determined that the incidence of Atypical BSE is not considered in determining a country’s BSE risk status. Hence, the discovery of this case has no implications for Ireland’s 'controlled risk' status which has been in place since 2008. This classification recognises that Ireland’s BSE controls are effective and that, under OIE rules, Irish beef can be safely traded internationally.
Nevertheless, on a temporary basis and in line with the specific protocol agreed with the Chinese authorities, Ireland voluntarily suspended beef exports to China from 22 May, until the epidemiological report on this case has been considered by the Chinese authorities.
The epidemiological report in this case has been forwarded to the Embassy of Ireland Beijing for onward transmission to the Chinese authorities. Our Embassy is liaising closely with relevant Chinese officials with a view to seeking an early resumption of the beef trade to China. The decision to resume trade is a matter for the Chinese authorities.
763. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the epidemiological report on the atypical case of BSE has been completed; if a copy of same will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11334/20]
View answerI can confirm that an epidemiological report on the Atypical BSE case in the national herd which was detected and confirmed late last month has been completed and that a summary of the key findings will be made available in due course.
764. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will prioritise the reopening of Irish beef exports to China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11335/20]
View answerOn 14 May, my Department identified a suspected case of 'Atypical BSE' in a 14-year old cow as a result of its surveillance of ‘fallen’ animals – these are on-farm deaths which are sent to a collection centre (knackery) for sampling and destruction. On 22 May, confirmatory tests carried out at my Department’s Central Veterinary Research Laboratory verified the suspect case as one of Atypical BSE. Atypical BSE is believed to occur spontaneously in all cattle populations at a very low rate and has only been identified in older cattle. There is no public health risk associated with this occurrence.
The OIE has determined that the incidence of Atypical BSE is not considered in determining a country’s BSE risk status. Hence, the discovery of this case has no implications for Ireland’s 'controlled risk' status which has been in place since 2008. This classification recognises that Ireland’s BSE controls are effective and that, under OIE rules, Irish beef can be safely traded internationally.
Nevertheless, on a temporary basis and in line with the specific protocol agreed with the Chinese authorities, Ireland voluntarily suspended beef exports to China from 22 May, until the epidemiological report on this case has been considered by the Chinese authorities.
The epidemiological report in this case has been forwarded to the Embassy of Ireland Beijing for onward transmission to the Chinese authorities. Our Embassy is liaising closely with relevant Chinese officials with a view to seeking an early resumption of the beef trade to China. The decision to resume trade is a matter for the Chinese authorities.
765. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration at EU level has begun with regard to the further renewal of approval of glyphosate which was due to begin in December 2019; if Ireland has submitted a full dossier to the member states’ assessment group on glyphosate which was due mid-June 2020; when he envisages a public consultation will be carried out on the use of glyphosate here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11371/20]
View answerThe current EU approval of the active substance glyphosate expires in December 2022. In May 2019, the European Commission appointed four evaluating Member States acting jointly as 'rapporteurs' for the next assessment of glyphosate. This group, comprising France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden, is known as the Assessment Group on Glyphosate.
In December 2019, a group of interested companies made an application for the renewal of approval of glyphosate post-2022 to the Assessment Group, the Member States and the EU Commission. This application formally initiated the EU renewal process.
The technical dossier supporting the application, containing scientific studies and literature data, was formally submitted by the Glyphosate Renewal Group on 8 June 2020 to the Commission. As Ireland is not an applicant for the renewal of the glyphosate approval, there is no requirement for the submission of a technical dossier.
An admissibility check on the application will now be carried out by the Assessment Group on Glyphosate by the end of July this year and, if all the necessary requirements are met, it will have 12 months to evaluate all the data submitted and prepare a Renewal Assessment Report (RAR).
The dossier submitted by the companies will be made available to the public during the summer. The RAR will be submitted by the Assessment Group on Glyphosate to the EU Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for peer review by the Member States. At this stage, the RAR will be made available to the public.
All relevant comments will be carefully considered in the EFSA peer review process. This process will include the involvement of Irish experts and will commence in the second half of 2021. EFSA will send its conclusions to the European Commission, who will make a proposal on whether or not to reapprove glyphosate. Member State representatives on the EU regulatory committee dealing with pesticides legislation will vote on the Commission proposal and must reach a decision before the current approval of glyphosate expires on 15 December 2022.
As the renewal process is an EU process with formal public consultation, no separate national consultations are envisaged.
766. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers still waiting for their 2019 beef data genomics scheme payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11441/20]
View answerThe Beef Data and Genomics Programme provides for six years of payments to farmers for completion of actions which deliver accelerated genetic improvement in the Irish national herd and improvement of its environmental sustainability.
€41.42m has been paid to date in respect of 22,951 participants for the 2019 scheme year. Payments for some 1,035 participants have yet to issue as they have not met the requirements under the programme.
Payments will continue to be made for 2019 as further participants become compliant with the programme requirements.
767. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount deducted from farmers through penalties under the beef data genomics scheme in each of the years 2017, 2018 and 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11454/20]
View answerThe Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) forms part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. It provides funding of €300 million over the six year programme and addresses widely acknowledged weaknesses in the maternal genetics of the Irish suckler herd, makes a positive contribution to farmer profitability and reduces the greenhouse gas intensity of Ireland’s beef production.
There are currently some 24,000 participants in BDGP and it provides for annual payments to participating farmers for completion of defined actions as set out in the Terms and Conditions of the scheme. Where these actions are not completed, penalties will be applied.
Some of these actions attract an increased penalty rate in certain years. In 2018, a major requirement under BDGP was for the number of replacement heifers rated at 4 or 5 stars to be a minimum of 20% of the herd's reference figure. For 2019, the requirement was for participating farms to have either a 4 or 5 star stock bull or use 80% 4 or 5 star AI on the holding. In both instances, my Department either directly or in conjunction with ICBF, identified and engaged with farmers falling short of these requirements to assist them in achieving compliance with the scheme. In both years, I arranged for flexibility in my Department's approach to these requirements to assist farmers in meeting their obligations, a flexibility that is similarly being applied this year where the replacement 4/5 star replacement Heifer requirement is 50% of the reference figure. All BDGP participants who were identified as having difficulty in meeting this requirement were written to this year to advise them of what options were available to them to avoid a penalty.
The total amounts deducted from BDGP payments as a result of penalties recorded in 2017, 2018 and 2019 are detailed as follows.
|
2017 |
€920,367 |
|
2018 |
€1,186,912 |
|
2019 |
€1,868,226 |
768. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount his Department spent on social media monitoring in 2018 and 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11834/20]
View answerThe staff of my Department’s Communications Division manage the Department’s social media channels, which includes social media monitoring.
No other costs have been incurred for social media monitoring for the period in question.
769. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount allocated to LEOs for the trading online voucher scheme; if the scheme is close to capacity in counties Longford and Westmeath; if further funding will be allocated should there be more demand for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10664/20]
View answer770. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider allocating additional funding to the trading online voucher scheme in counties Sligo and Leitrim in view of the unprecedented levels of interest for funding from small and microbusinesses in particular due to Covid-19 and a move to online trading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10677/20]
View answer771. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to resume the trading online voucher scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10782/20]
View answer772. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his attention has been drawn to instances within local enterprise offices by which local businesses have been informed that the funding for the trading online voucher scheme has dried up and businesses that meet all the criteria have been unable to access the scheme. [10791/20]
View answer773. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when he plans to reinstate the small business website design grant of €2,500 in view of the fact the local enterprise offices stopped accepting applications on 15 May 2020. [10792/20]
View answer774. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the online trading voucher scheme has been cancelled (details supplied). [10815/20]
View answer775. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there a shortage of funds for the trading online voucher; the funding allocated to the scheme; the amount allocated to each local enterprise board nationally for the scheme; and the reason so many persons are being refused funding through the scheme. [10992/20]
View answer776. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to provide sufficient funds to the local enterprise boards and Údarás na Gaeltachta to meet all the qualifying demands for the trading online voucher scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11254/20]
View answer778. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the trading online voucher of €2,500 is still available in each local enterprise office nationally; if additional funding will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11493/20]
View answer791. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the funding allocated and available for the online voucher trading scheme for small businesses; his plans to increase available funding; if his attention has been drawn to problems in Dublin City Council areas with administering the scheme with businesses being refused or told the scheme is oversubscribed after they have completed the application process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10879/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 769 to 776, inclusive, 778 and 791 together.
The Trading Online Voucher Scheme is funded by my Department and delivered nationwide in partnership with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Enterprise Ireland, the 31 Local Enterprise Offices and Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Scheme offers skills training, mentoring and a grant of up to €2,500 to help small and micro-businesses to develop their ecommerce capability.
New flexibilities to the Scheme were introduced on 8 April 2020 including reducing the requirement for co-funding from 50% to 10% and allowing businesses to apply for a second voucher of up to €2,500 where they have successfully utilised their first one. In addition funding for the Scheme was increased from €2.3m to €5.6m. There has been a positive response to these changes and significant uptake of the Scheme.
On 8 June further funding of €14.2m, including an allocation of €0.6m for Údarás na Gaeltachta, was announced for the Scheme bringing the total funding allocation in 2020 to €19.8m.
My Department continues to engage with the respective departments and agencies regarding demand for the Scheme.
777. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated revenue that would be raised by extending the plastic bag levy to other single-use plastic items; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11469/20]
View answerIn November 2019, I published a consultation paper relating to the development of new environmental levy proposals on a phased basis over the period 2020-2025. A copy of this paper is available at www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/environment/consultations/Pages/Public-Consultation-on-the-Proposed-Introduction-of-new-Environmental-Levies.aspx.
The proposals, which include a coffee cup levy, a waste recovery levy, and increases to the existing plastic bag and landfill levies are aimed at encouraging positive environmental behavioural change and climate action. With the focus on behavioural change, only preliminary scoping was carried out on potential revenue from the proposed Phase 1 levies. In this regard, it is estimated that revenue in the range of €8m to €9.5m per annum would be generated from a waste recovery levy, and from the increases to the landfill and plastic bag levies. In relation to a coffee cup levy, it is not possible at this time to produce a reliable estimate of potential revenue as defining the scale of disposable cup use is challenging with no single robust and authoritative source of data.
Work is currently on-going on the further development of these proposals, including having regard to the submissions received via the consultation process.
