Written Answers Nos. 882-901
882. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the owners of allotments are permitted to travel outside their 5 km to access their food production under level 5 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36311/20]
View answerFor public health reasons, the Government has advised that during Level 5 of the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19, there are restrictions in place on domestic travel outside of a 5 kilometre radius of a person's home. The measures are based on expert advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and are kept under ongoing review by that group, with the over-riding consideration being the protection of public health in the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic. It is a matter for each individual and business to review these and see what applies to them. The current restrictions are scheduled to last until 1st December, at which point the NPHET will issue guidance on whether any changes are considered prudent or necessary.
There are certain exemptions to these travel restrictions, including where the travel is for farming purposes, that is food production or care of animals. Up to date details of all public health measures are available on the www.gov.ie website so that people can understand how the measures apply to them.
883. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if vets will be provided with a dedicated line in each county in order to obtain immediate advice on TB and not a central call centre as is the case at the moment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36408/20]
View answerCurrently, each Regional Veterinary Office (RVO) has a designated Veterinary Inspector on duty that is assigned to deal with any TB Testing Veterinary matters when calls are received.
Following a proposal from the bTB Stakeholder Forum, my Department will work towards implementing a system providing a point of contact arrangement for private veterinary practitioners who request advice on TB related matters, based on the use of new customer relationship management software in RVOs.
884. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the legislative basis for the bottom grown mussel consultative forum and joint management of the bottom grown mussel natural resource following the Supreme Court judgment of 27 October 2016 (details supplied). [36432/20]
View answerI assume that the Deputy is referring to the all-island basis for management of the mussel seed fishery in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and the cross-border Loughs Agency. The context for this has been the long-standing voisinage arrangements which provide for reciprocal fishing access to waters in the area from the baselines out to six nautical miles around the coast of the State and Northern Ireland.
Irish sea-fishing boats are authorised to fish for mussel seed within the exclusive fishery limits of the State under s. 13 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006. Persons on board vessels owned and operated in Northern Ireland are permitted to fish for mussel seed in the waters within 0 to 6 nautical miles of the baseline under s. 10(2) of that Act, as amended by the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2019. I am advised that these provisions form the legislative basis for the regulation and management of this natural resource in accordance with the requirements of Article 10 of the Constitution and the judgment of the Supreme Court in Barlow & Ors -v- Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine & Ors [2017] I.R. 440. As Minister, I retain decision-making powers under this legal framework.
The Bottom Grown Mussel Consultative Forum is a consultative body that was established pursuant to a recommendation of the 2008 expert group report The Rising Tide. While the Forum may make recommendations on matters affecting the bottom grown mussel sector, including concerning the mussel seed fishery, the Forum is not a decision-making body.
885. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the decade-long failure of his Department to complete the construction of a breakwater at Greencastle Harbour, County Donegal; and if his Department will engage proactively with Donegal County Council on its plans to complete the breakwater submitted to the Department of Rural and Community Development as an unsuccessful application for funding under the rural regeneration and development fund. [36433/20]
View answerMy 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.
Greencastle 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, Local Government and Heritage thereafter.
My Department co-funded works on phase one of a larger Greencastle Harbour Development project up to 2011, which involved the construction of a rock breakwater.
€8.37m was invested in this project between the years 2007 – 2010. Funding for capital projects was, of necessity, significantly reduced due to the economic conditions prevalent in 2010. Further funding of €453,000 was provided for in my Department’s 2011 capital programme to enable the Department to suspend the project in a safe and acceptable manner. In February 2012, my Department formally handed back responsibility for the Greencastle Harbour Development project to Donegal County Council, following completion of works to safeguard the partially constructed breakwater.
My Department continues to provide funding to assist the 14 coastal Local Authorities, including Donegal County Council, 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. Between the years 2010-2019, Donegal County Council has received funding of € 3.6m under this programme, with €739k of this allocated for works at Greencastle Harbour.
Funding of €3.1m has been approved 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 7 Harbour Development and 4 Marine Leisure projects. Of this funding, €90,000 has been allocated to repair works at Greencastle Harbour.
In addition, my Department is currently undertaking Phase 2 of a major, multi-year capital investment project in Killybegs Fishery Harbour Centre, County Donegal which will extend the landing pier at Smooth Point by 120 metres. The overall investment in this project is expected to be in excess of €21m.
I am currently examining all aspects of my Department’s Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme, including planning for future programmes.
I am very much aware of the importance of Greencastle Harbour to both the fishing industry in Donegal and nationally and plans for the completion of the Greencastle Breakwater Project is being considered by me in the context of this examination of the Department's Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme.
886. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the decision not to proceed with the sea survival training centre at the National Fisheries College in Greencastle, County Donegal, will be reversed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36434/20]
View answerThis proposed project by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) was assessed in the wider context of the provision of existing specialised professional sea survival training facilities within the State and the cost, both construction and operational, of such a facility.
There are existing professional sea survival training facilities based at the National Maritime College of Ireland, Ringaskiddy, Co Cork. These facilities are a unique resource in Ireland and designed both for fundamental safety training and specialised survival training, to increase survival ability in emergency situations.
I have sought a report from BIM and my Deparrtment on the considerations around developing a further facility in Greencastle in order to inform future action by me in this regard.
887. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there will be a scheme in 2021 similar to the one in spring 2020 whereby calf welfare was funded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36456/20]
View answerIn December 2019, my Department announced a new once-off standalone financial support scheme to support for calf rearing. This initiative was designed to specifically complement a series of measures put in place by stakeholders for the 2020 spring calving season, with the objective of ensuring the highest possible calf welfare outcomes. The primary investment focus was on supporting calf feeding systems such as computerised calf feeders, milk carts with mixer included and calf teat feeders. There has been a high level of uptake for the scheme. Given the specific and time bound objective of the scheme, there are no plans at this time for any such similar scheme.
888. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of infringement orders taken to date under the sale or supply of pets regulations 2019. [36556/20]
View answer889. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the additional resources allocated for the enforcement of the sale or supply of pets regulations that came into effect on 1 February 2020; and if he or his Department has held meetings with the online platforms since their introduction. [36557/20]
View answer890. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress on the establishment of a central GDPR-compliant database to collate the registration numbers of sellers or suppliers of dogs, the dog breeding establishment licence numbers and the unique microchip identifier assigned to dogs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36558/20]
View answer897. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the provisions in the sale of pets regulations 2019 that prevent the use of third-party sellers; the resources he has put in place to ensure that the regulations are being enforced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36810/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 888 to 890, inclusive, and 897 together.
The safety and welfare of pet animals was one of the concerns behind the introduction by my Department of regulations on the sale and supply of pet animals last year, and which came into effect in February of this year. These Regulations were welcomed by the ISPCA and other welfare organisations, and put into law certain requirements for sellers and suppliers of pet animals, including minimum ages for sale of certain mammals; record-keeping; registration with the Department; and provision of certain information about the pet in advertisements.
Under the Regulations, anyone who sells or supplies six or more pet animals in a calendar year (this includes third-party sellers) must register with the Department, unless they are subject to the requirement to register with their local authority under the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. The Department is actively considering the issue of publication of the register, but must ensure that such is compliant with all data protection regulations.
The Dog Breeding Establishments Act falls under the remit of the Minister for Rural and Community Development. In relation to registered microchips, under the Microchipping of Dogs Regulations 2015, four companies are authorised by my Department to register owner details of dog microchips, and there is no central database. These companies provide details of the chips they hold to Europetnet which is a group of national and local associations throughout Europe that register owner information about pets that have been uniquely identified. Certain persons such as dog wardens and those who microchip dogs have access through this portal to the databases to enable the identification of microchipped dogs.
There is further work to be done on effective enforcement of the Regulations and no infringement orders have been taken to date. However, the requirement to include certain information about a pet animal in an advertisement will assist potential pet owners in deciding the appropriate seller with whom to engage. Potential pet owners should carefully conduct comprehensive research before acquiring a pet.
My Department participates in the Irish Pet Advertising Advisory Group (IPAAG), a group formed in 2015 by a number of animal welfare organisations, veterinary professionals and classified advertising websites to address irresponsible advertising of pets online. Officials of my Department have engaged and will continue to engage constructively with members of IPAAG, on the issue of online advertising and enforcement of the new Regulations. IPAAG has published practical, comprehensive advice on their website for anyone thinking of acquiring a pet, including what to check for in advertisements for pet animals. The sale and purchase of a pet is a commercial transaction between a seller and a buyer.
Any evidence of animal cruelty or neglect of an animal’s welfare should be brought to the attention of my Department by calling the animal welfare helpline on 0761064408 (Call Save) or 01 6072379 or by emailing animalwelfare@agriculture.gov.ie. All such reports are followed up on. This Government is committed to advancing animal welfare. In December 2019, my Department provided record funding awards of €2,906,000 to 106 animal welfare organisations, in recognition of their good work.
891. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding made available to an organisation (details supplied) in each of the years 2016 to 2019 and to date in 2020; the scheme under which an allocation of funding was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36757/20]
View answerMy Department is very supportive of markets, both urban and rural, that promote local and sustainable foods. The organisation in question is a co-operative society that runs local markets throughout Ireland in order to sell fresh farm, garden and home produce and craftwork of its members.
My Department has provided ex-gratia contributions of €6,000 per annum from 2016 to 2019 inclusive. This funding is designed to assist with the day-to-day operational costs of the society. The payment is not made as part of any formal scheme but is, nevertheless, subject to review and all payments issue without commitment to any future funding. My Department is currently examining the society's application for funding in respect of 2020.
892. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made by the Dublin region horse welfare forum on advancing horse welfare, active enforcement and legislation; and if the minutes of the meetings held and the detail of the groups represented will be provided. [36762/20]
View answerRepresentatives from my Department sit on the Dublin Regional Horse Welfare Group. My Department is strongly committed to the aims of this group and will continue to support the projects that developed from the Group. While Covid-19 has somewhat hampered the Groups activities in 2020 in the areas of outreach and education, my Department continue to collaborate with, and support the other members of the working group in the area of equine identification and welfare.
Membership of the group include
- Dublin Local Authorities - SDCC/DCC/FCC
- Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine
- An Garda Síochána
- DSPCA
- Fettercairn Youth Horse Project
- Clondalkin Equine Club
- Youth Service
- Traveller Development Groups
- Voluntary groups/rescue centres
- UCD Veterinary Services
My Department has also taken a proactive approach in tackling challenges that arise in the case of horses by developing facilities for urban and traveller horse populations and in educating young people among these communities in the care and welfare of horses. This work is done in close collaboration with the local authorities and NGOs involved.
My Department's representatives do not take formal minutes but meeting notes and action points are kept by the Local Authorities that chair the individual meeting.
893. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the suggested actions recommended by the LGMA and others at the meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and Marine held on 18 June 2019 that have been followed up on or implemented (details supplied). [36763/20]
View answerMy Department continues to dedicate a substantial level of resources and funding to animal welfare. In December 2019, the largest ever allocation of funding from my Department of €2.906m to 106 animal welfare organisations was announced. A number of other organisations undertake work with equines. I expect to make an announcement of funding for 2020 shortly.
In addition, the Programme for Government also contains commitments to provide additional urban horse welfare programmes. My Department continues to take a proactive approach in tackling challenges that arise in the case of horses by developing facilities for urban and traveller horse populations and in educating young people among these communities in the care and welfare of horses. This work is done in close collaboration with the local authorities involved.
From 2015 to date, a total of €1.36 million has been spent on urban horse projects. This amount is match funded by the relevant local authorities.
There are currently seven live projects including the Clondalkin Project which has had the largest amount of capital investment (€503k) and was set up to help this ongoing equine problem in the area, to make it affordable for the youth to keep horses locally and educate them on equine welfare.
Other large successful projects include the Limerick Moyross Education & Therapy Program which is linked with six schools in Limerick.
The Cherry Orchard Equine Project is a large scale project with a focus on community-led, equine centred, learning environment dedicated to the needs of young people through the provision of state recognised qualifications and recreational activities.
My Department continues to support a number of urban horse projects nationwide, bringing education on all aspects of equine welfare to disadvantaged areas. As an example, in the context of breeding, the DSPCA with financial assistance from my Department, continues to facilitate castration clinics and education programs in an effort to address the problem of over-breeding which can add to welfare issues.
In 2018 and 2019, my Department also funded an equine welfare course aimed at horse owners, in particular those who have involvement with trotting/harness type animals. Four of these courses were run including one in Garristown, Co. Dublin.
Officials from my Department also sit on the Dublin Region Horse Welfare Working Group with local authorities and relevant NGOs.
The Control of Horses Act, 1996 is currently under review within my Department and plans for replacement legislation are well advanced. Under the Act, local authorities may take a range of actions in relation to equines including prohibiting horses in certain areas, the issuing of licences, the seizure of horses in contravention of the Act. These powers can be used in respect of straying horses which includes horses put on land without the owner’s permission, including public land. The local authorities may also prosecute offenders under the Control of Horses Act. While still at an unacceptable level, the overall numbers of equines seized have been falling year-on-year from a high of approximately 5,000 in 2014 to less than 900 in 2019.
The completion on the new Animal Welfare Strategy is at an advanced stage and will be launched in the coming weeks. This will be Ireland’s first, dedicated Animal Welfare Strategy and will be backed by the resources and expertise within my Department, with other Departments and Agencies, and with stakeholders and civil society.
894. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a decision will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36768/20]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that the Agriculture Appeals Office operates independently of my Department.
I have been advised, however, that the records of the Agriculture Appeals Office indicate that an appeal was received from the named person in October 2020.
The Appeals Office requested the file and a statement on the grounds of appeal from my Department and all relevant documentation have been forwarded to the the Appeals Office.
I am advised that the appeal will shortly be assigned to an Appeals Officer for examination and I have been assured that the appeal will be dealt with in due course.
895. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if plans will be accelerated to end fur farming given the outbreak of Covid-19 on mink farms in Europe and the move by other European states to accelerate their plans to prohibit the practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36799/20]
View answerThe Programme for Government 2020 contains a commitment regarding the prohibition of fur farming and Department officials have been working on appropriate steps to give effect to this. My Department will, in due course, commence the process of preparing a Bill to provide for the phased introduction of a ban on fur farming which will include a prohibition on mink farming.
The Bill will make it illegal for any new fur farms to be established and will put in place phase out arrangements for the small number of current operators.
Following the outbreak of a new form of Covid 19 in mink in Denmark and the possibility of the mutation moving from mink to humans, my Department has initiated testing of animals on the three mink farms. Public safety is our main concern. Results received to date have been negative.
896. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the drafting of legislation to prohibit the practice of fur farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36800/20]
View answerThe Programme for Government 2020 contains a commitment regarding the prohibition of fur farming and Department officials have been working on appropriate steps to give effect to this. My Department will, in due course, commence the process of preparing a Bill to provide for the phased introduction of a ban on fur farming which will include a prohibition on mink farming.
The Bill will make it illegal for any new fur farms to be established and will put in place phase out arrangements for the small number of current operators.
898. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the commitment in the programme for Government to phase out fur farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36826/20]
View answerThe Programme for Government 2020 contains a commitment regarding the prohibition of fur farming and Department officials have been working on appropriate steps to give effect to this. My Department will, in due course, commence the process of preparing a Bill to provide for the phased introduction of a ban on fur farming which will include a prohibition on mink farming.
The Bill will make it illegal for any new fur farms to be established and will put in place phase out arrangements for the small number of current operators.
899. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision has been made on the review of the decision on a beef finisher funding application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36846/20]
View answerThe Beef Finisher Payment (BFP) scheme is a one off, exchequer funded grant aid scheme under the Covid 19 State Aid Temporary Framework. The objective of the BFP is to provide support for beef finishing farms in Ireland which have been severely impacted by the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme is open to all beef farmers who presented animals for slaughter in the period 1 February 2020 to 12 June 2020 inclusive and fulfil the requirements set out in the Terms and Conditions of the scheme.
Applications for the scheme could only be made online via my Department's agfood.ie portal and the application system was available between 20th August and 9th September. No application was submitted by the person named during this application period. A letter requesting admittance to the scheme was received on 29th October and a letter denying this request issued on 3rd November. This letter also detailed the person's right to have that decision reviewed.
On foot of supplementary evidence supplied sent in subsequently, this appeal has now been accepted. The Department will contact the person named in the coming days and detailing what actions need to be carried out now to progress his application.
900. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which his Department’s annual amount for contingent liability is set; the factors considered when setting contingent liability; if forecasting is undertaken regarding setting future amounts; the contingent liability figure for his Department for 2020; and if the contingent has been utilised to date in 2020. [36897/20]
View answerContingent liabilities are disclosed under the prudency principle of accounting, as the earliest indication of a possible future outcome. The contingent liabilities for 2020 are set out in the 2019 Appropriation Account and cover a number of areas of the Department’s activities including EU operations, pending legal proceedings and the Haulbowline remediation site.
In terms of the EU, these contingencies are disclosed once the Department becomes aware of an audit outcome or case deliberation. It should be noted that these proceedings may incorporate an information, appeals and mitigation process and many do not result in a financial penalty; this may only be disclosed at final arbitration.
Legal contingencies are made on the basis of the likelihood that cases may arise in the course of the day to day operations of the Department. Should a legal case materialise, DPER sanction for payments would be sought and provision made in the Budgetary process for payment.
The Haulbowline case is an acknowledgement of the risk attached to remediating an industrial site, to date no unforeseen costs have arisen.
Provision for contingent liabilities is based on a prudent approach to possible liabilities which may arise in the medium to long term. They are provided for on the basis of known investigations or deliberations which may or may not result in a financial charge to the Vote as yet to be determined. This general prudent approach is taken to disclose any potential charges in the contingent liability note.
901. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the guidelines in place for the selling of Christmas trees in an outdoor setting under the current level 5 restrictions and also under level 3 and 4 restrictions; where these vendors can access the guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36919/20]
View answerThe guidelines regarding current restrictions due to Covid-19 are available on Gov.ie and HSE.ie.
