Written Answers Nos. 1050-1080
1050. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of racing greyhound pups born in each year from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11256/21]
View answerRásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) 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. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) has been the keeper for the Irish Greyhound Stud Book since 1923. The ICC has provided my Department with the data as set out in tabular form below.
Greyhounds are required to be named with the ICC and the table below sets out details of greyhounds named over the period 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2020. It should be noted that the number of greyhounds named includes all greyhounds. Greyhounds that go on to be racing greyhounds comprise an element of the overall namings notified to the ICC.
|
Year |
Namings |
|
2010 |
16,467 |
|
2011 |
15,908 |
|
2012 |
16,224 |
|
2013 |
15,575 |
|
2014 |
14,898 |
|
2015 |
15,388 |
|
2016 |
13,987 |
|
2017 |
13,649 |
|
2018 |
13,327 |
|
2019 |
12,793 |
|
2020 |
12,930 |
1051. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of containers inspected by his Department following arrival at Dublin Port between 1 December and 31 December 2020, in tabular form. [11261/21]
View answerThe details requested by the Deputy are set out in the table below.
Details of Container Inspections at Dublin Port 2020
|
Date |
Product Category |
No. of containers |
No. physically inspected |
|
01/12/2020 -31/12/2020 |
Animal Product |
124 |
124 |
|
01/12/2020 -31/12/2020 |
Plant Product |
97 |
41 |
1052. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeframe for compulsory testing of bovine viral diarrhoea, BVD, on herds as with brucellosis in which testing is done and results are available within five working days; if it is the same with BVD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11267/21]
View answer1053. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason it is necessary to have a three-week delay to BVD testing on herds in which a persistently infected animal is found, given that in many cases more than one animal is persistently infected; his views on whether it is more practical to do it immediately in circumstances in which a persistently infected animal is found; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11268/21]
View answer1054. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if research has been carried out to examine whether there is BVD in wildlife, especially deer and badgers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11269/21]
View answer1055. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if post-mortems are carried out on deer and badgers to test the status of the animals for BVD; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11270/21]
View answer1056. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the outbreaks of BVD that have tested clear for the past eight years and now have persistently infected animals in the herd; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11271/21]
View answer1057. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the budget set aside for compulsory testing of BVD for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11272/21]
View answer1058. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of herds nationally that have had persistently infected animal positives up to 20 February 2021, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11273/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1052 to 1058, inclusive, together.
At the outset, the Deputy should be aware that I am committed to achieving a BVD-free herd.
In 2021 to date, 119 tests have given positive results for BVD - these come from 65 herds. It does not follow, however, that all these animals are PI animals and as we are now advancing towards final eradication, all such herds are subject to follow up investigation and supports to ensure any suspicion of disease is dealt with.
Table 1 indicates the number of BVD positive test results recorded in individual animals by county from 1st January 2021 to 20th February 2021.
Table 1. The number of BVD surveillance test positive results disclosed in each county between 1st January 2021 and 20th February 2021.
|
County |
Number of animals |
|
Cavan |
4 |
|
Clare |
2 |
|
Cork |
9 |
|
Galway |
3 |
|
Kerry |
6 |
|
Kildare |
7 |
|
Kilkenny |
1 |
|
Laois |
15 |
|
Limerick |
4 |
|
Louth |
10 |
|
Mayo |
2 |
|
Meath |
11 |
|
Monaghan |
3 |
|
Offaly |
13 |
|
Roscommon |
3 |
|
Sligo |
2 |
|
Tipperary |
12 |
|
Waterford |
9 |
|
Westmeath |
3 |
|
Total |
119 |
Compulsory surveillance testing for BVD nationally is conducted on tissue tags submitted by the herdowner to a private designated laboratory. This is a commercial matter between the herdowner and their choice of designated laboratory.
For blood samples collected during a herd investigation following a test positive result in 2021 and 2022, DAFM had a budget assigned to the BVD programme to support this industry-led eradication effort by offsetting the payments for the small number of affected farmers.
Herds are at risk of disclosing a BVD positive test result for many different reasons. Research demonstrates herds are at risk of introducing infection into their herd through a number of routes including direct or indirect contacts - such as contiguous contacts, purchasing animals including so called 'trojan animals' – pregnant animal carrying a BVD positive calf. Ireland records a large number of farm to farm movements, approximately 2.8 million moves direct farm to farm and through marts annually.
Post mortems are not conducted on badgers and deer as part of the BVD programme. International research suggests that wildlife does not play a key role in the transmission of BVD within or between farms.
The three week standstill period is used to allow for any likely transient infection (TI) to reduce in the herd and/or any potentially newly infected animal to react to the test. The BVD technical working group has recommended to the BVD Implementation group that a three-week standstill period after the removal of the test positive BVD animals is necessary to ensure a more comprehensive evaluation of the health status of all the animals in the herd and to ensure the best outcome for the individual herds and for the success of the programme.
As agreed by the BVD Implementation Group, the arrangement for the 2021 and 2022 programme is that blood collected during the whole herd sampling will be sent to private laboratories designated for BVD virus testing in blood. Compulsory screening testing continues as is through the laboratories designated for BVD virus testing in ear notch samples. The turnaround time can vary with the different samples submitted i.e. tissue or blood. Tissue tag testing is a high throughput and highly automated test, with over two million samples tested a year in Ireland, and laboratories involved have to comply with strict turnaround times as indicated in their designation criteria. It is estimated that up to a maximum of 45,000 blood samples will be collected in 2021 as part of the BVD compulsory herd testing programme, and samples submitted can greatly vary from week to week, thus the testing process is more manual and there is likely that some variation around turnaround times will occur.
Thus far in 2021, only a small number of herds have completed the whole herd test and they have been tested in DAFM laboratories, so turnaround times are not yet available that would reflect the full group.
1059. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when knackeries will become live for the cattle movement monitoring system, CMMS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11274/21]
View answerCurrently, all on farm death notifications by knackeries to this Department's Animal Identification and Movement database is carried out via a paper-based system.
My Department strongly favours the introduction of an electronic notification system to the database and, in this regard, preliminary discussions have taken place with the operators of knackeries.
1060. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if scramblers are allowed in Coillte forests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11283/21]
View answerCoillte CGA was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of their forest estate, are the responsibility of the company.
I have therefore passed the question raised to Coillte for response and direct reply to the Deputy.
1061. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific details of the recent announcement by Coillte to buy bare land and land with immature forestry; the intentions of this project; the way in which it will impact on afforestation across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11287/21]
View answerCoillte CGA was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988 and day-to-day operational matters, such as the management of their forest estate, are the responsibility of the company.
I have therefore passed the questions raised to Coillte for response and direct reply to the Deputy.
1062. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the agrifood sector will be supported through the Brexit adjustment reserve; the likely timescale for the development of such schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11307/21]
View answerNegotiations on the Commission's recent proposal on the Brexit Adjustment Reserve are now under way. The proposal is currently being considered separately by the Council and by the European Parliament, and their respective positions will, in due course, form the basis of trilogue negotiations between the three institutions. In the Council discussions, Ireland is continuing to argue our case that substantial funding is needed to assist the most affected sectors of the Irish economy.
The proposed allocation for Ireland reflects the extensive engagement that I and my Cabinet colleagues have undertaken to present the unique, adverse and disproportionate impact of Brexit on Ireland. In particular, I am acutely aware of the impact on the agrifood sector, which will continue to evolve over the coming months. My officials will continue to assess this impact, and consider the development of appropriate and targeted supports.
It is important to acknowledge the significant Government expenditure on Brexit that has already taken place. We have invested in new infrastructure, IT systems and staff. We have deployed new supports for businesses. And I continue to engage extensively with stakeholders to assist them in adjusting to the impacts of Brexit.
1063. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the commitment made at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and the Marine that the age of licensees would be made known at the time of issue; when this is due to commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11319/21]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that Ms. Jo O’Hara was commissioned to prepare a plan to implement the Mackinnon Review. Ms. O’Hara’s report has been received and may be viewed at the following link: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/e43d8-forestry-policy-group-chaired-by-mos-hackett/.
On foot of Ms. O'Hara's report, Minister Hackett and I announced on 25th February 2021 the establishment of Project Woodland which will adopt the project management structure set out in Ms. O’Hara’s report.
This project management structure will consist of a Project Board, Project Manager and four individual workstreams working with the principles of clear accountability and reporting. The workstreams will work concurrently, focusing on different areas. The first one will concentrate on the backlog, the second on a vision for forestry, the third on devising a fit for purpose organisational structure, including organisational development, and the fourth on streamlining the licensing process for the future.
One element of the plan is improved data processing including the introduction of additional KPIs and an expanded forestry licensing dashboard; the Joint Oireachtas Committee receives the dashboard weekly in its current format. This work on revising KPIs and the dashboard will take place in the context of the workstream groups which will be set up shortly. It will include better data management and processing and I expect to be reporting on progress there as soon as it's available.
1064. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated number of afforestation licences his Department expects to issue in 2021 to meet the target of 8,000 hectares set in the programme for Government, given the figures for licences for the first two months of 2021 are extremely low; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11320/21]
View answer1065. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether Ireland will struggle to achieve 25% of the target for afforestation licences on the basis of the figures for the first two months of 2021; his initiatives to increase the number of afforestation licences to issue in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11321/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1064 and 1065 together.
Forestry will play an important role in meeting our environmental objectives under the Climate Action Plan and in terms of biodiversity, as outlined in the Programme for Government. It is for this reason my Department will be focusing on afforestation applications in the coming weeks. I am mindful of the seasonality associated with afforestation and therefore, while other forestry licence types will continue to issue, afforestation will be the priority.
Felling licences were necessarily prioritised in the latter months of 2020, to ensure a steady supply of timber into sawmills. This saw some three million m3 issued since last August. Coillte now has 98% of its 2021 licensing requirement issued, 60% of which is immediately available for felling operations.
In terms of afforestation, my Department continues to receive and issue forestry licences daily. To end of February, the area covered by issued afforestation licences so far this year was 776ha. There are currently applications within my Department’s system, covering 9,600ha, which are at various stages of processing, from the initial application steps, to ready for decision. In addition to this, there is another 4,500ha already approved and available to plant immediately. It is up to landowners to decide to plant, once they have received approval to do so, but I would encourage anyone that has approval to arrange financial approval, which is a straightforward process completed by their registered forester and to commence planting.
I am confident that the changes to processes both within my Department and the independent Forestry Appeals Committee, will bear fruit, particularly to give confidence to applicants and potential applicants, that they can receive a timely decision on their afforestation application.
1066. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to review the blanket ban on plantations on unenclosed land, which was introduced in 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11322/21]
View answer1067. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a survey has been carried out on the capital value of unenclosed land as a result of the decision in 2010 to ban afforestation on unenclosed land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11323/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1066 and 1067 together.
The Department has not analysed the value of unenclosed land before or after the decision in 2010 limiting the amount of unenclosed land that can be planted in any one application.
The Department made the decision in 2010 to limit the amount of unenclosed land in any one application based on economic, environmental and value for money reasons. Last week, Minister Hackett announced Project Woodland which provides for the implementation of MacKinnon report. This includes the establishment of four working groups to tackle specifically the recommendations in the MacKinnon report and one of these will examine the issue of land suitability and land availability.
1068. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a felling licence will issue to a person (details supplied). [11356/21]
View answerA tree felling licence for the person named issued on 28th August, 2020. The licensee is free to fell the area licensed as they wish, according to the conditions on the issued licence.
1069. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of contracts of €25,000 or more that have been awarded by his Department or bodies under his aegis that were found to be non-compliant with procurement guidelines in 2018, 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; the value and nature of the contact work carried out in each case; the year of each contract in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11370/21]
View answerMy Department ensures that there is an appropriate focus on good practice in procurement and that procedures are in place to ensure compliance with relevant guidelines and legislation. EU and national rules promote an open, competitive and non-discriminatory public procurement regime which delivers value for money.
Circular 40/02 issued by the Department of Finance requires my Department to report all contracts above €25,000 (exclusive of VAT) awarded without a competitive process to the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) by 31 March of the following year.
Information for 2018 and 2019 is not readily available in the format requested. Officials in my Department will collate the information and forward it directly to the Deputy. Information on contracts awarded in 2020 and 2021, that do not comply with procurement rules are not yet available.
Procurement is an operational matter for bodies that come under the aegis of my Department.
1070. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the meetings, correspondence and engagements he and his officials have had with a group (details supplied); if he will specifically address the concerns outlined by the group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11402/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department did not have any meetings, engagements or correspondence with a group (details supplied).
1071. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the new agreement of Horse Racing Ireland with a group (details supplied) includes an agreement for Irish participation in specific race meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11421/21]
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.
The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for HRI and I have requested my officials to refer the question to them for direct reply.
1072. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the new agreement of Horse Racing Ireland with a group (details supplied) includes an agreement for domestic or non-domestic advertising rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11422/21]
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.
The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for HRI and I have requested my officials to refer the question to them for direct reply.
1073. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the competitive concerns that preclude the reporting of remuneration at Horse Racing Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11423/21]
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.
Under the 2016 Code of Governance provisions, State Bodies should publish details of the number of employees whose total employee benefits for the reporting period fell within each pay band of €10,000 from €60,000 upwards and an overall figure for each employer pension contributions in their annual report and /or financial statements.
HRI applied to this Department for a derogation of the requirement to include staff benefits tables for their subsidiaries within the group financial statements.
Following this request, my Department considered that, as HRI is a commercial state body, it is acceptable for more detailed data on employee pay bands to be included in the Chairperson’s report to the Minister in lieu of its inclusion in the annual report and financial statements given its commercial sensitivity. This commercial sensitivity is in relation to the competitive racecourse sector. Data protection is also an issue, with the possibility of identifying particular benefits relating to particular staff due to limited numbers of individuals in any given band.
1074. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the governance rules of the board of Horse Racing Ireland relating to board members serving more than two four-year terms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11424/21]
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.
The Horse Racing Ireland Act 2016 (Section 4) is the current legislation setting out the structure of the board of HRI. The board consists of a Chairman and 13 ordinary members. Under this legislation, each ordinary member’s term of office is four years with a maximum of two consecutive terms.
1075. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter regarding Covid-19 rules in marts (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11466/21]
View answerSince the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, my Department has worked intensively in cooperation with marts representative organisations to ensure that marts continue to be able to operate. I commend marts, their staff and farmers for the resilience they have shown and the speed with which they have adapted to these circumstances.
Livestock marts have systems in place to conduct online auctions and are continuing to operate. Cattle throughput from 1st January to 21st February 2021 was at 94% of the comparable period in 2019 (166,877 versus 177,064 head). Sheep throughput in the same period was at 97% of the comparable period for 2019 (117,103 v 120,963 head).
Online sales reach a much higher number of farmers and agents than in-person sales do. Marts are reporting good clearance rates and robust prices,
This week, I launched the Marts ICT Infrastructure Scheme 2021. Livestock marts can apply to my Department for a grant to a maximum of €5,000 to cover 50% of expenditure by a mart on necessary ICT infrastructure. Further information is available at gov.ie - Livestock Mart Licence Application (www.gov.ie).
1076. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a forestry application by a person (details supplied) will be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11469/21]
View answerAn application for an afforestation licence for the person named was received in June, 2020 and has been referred to my Department’s Ecology Unit. The application site is near 11 designated sites including the Mount Brandon and Slieve Mish SACs. Therefore, the impact of any forestry operations on the sites and the surrounding area, must be carefully considered before deciding on the licence application.
If the applicant wishes, and at their own expense, they may provide a Natura Impact Statement (NIS). The NIS must be prepared by a suitably qualified person. A NIS can considerably reduce the time taken to assess the application, as once received, the NIS will be examined by an ecologist within two to three months and a decision will issue once the assessment of the application is complete. Without the NIS, my Department will prepare its own Appropriate Assessment Report and Determination, but priority is given to applications with a NIS.
1077. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Attorney General nominated for appointment by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority three independent legal professionals to the determination panel for the purpose of SI 318 of 2020 - European Union (Common Fisheries Policy) (Point System) Regulations 2020. [11608/21]
View answer1078. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Attorney General conducted an application process or otherwise invited applications from independent legal professionals for the appointment of three independent legal professionals to the determination panel for the purpose of SI 318 of 2020 - European Union (Common Fisheries Policy) (Point System) Regulations 2020. [11609/21]
View answer1079. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Attorney General has nominated for appointment an appeals officer for the purpose of SI 318 of 2020 - European Union (Common Fisheries Policy) (Point System) Regulations 2020. [11610/21]
View answer1080. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Attorney General conducted an application process or otherwise invited applications from suitable candidates namely barristers or solicitors of not less than five years standing for the nomination for appointment of an appeals officer for the purpose of SI 318 of 2020 - European Union (Common Fisheries Policy) (Point System) Regulations 2020. [11611/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1077 to 1080, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy may be aware, the European Union (Common Fisheries Policy)(Point System) Regulations 2020 (SI No. 318 of 2020) were signed into force in August 2020. I am informed by the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority that the Determination Panel provided for thereunder was established on 21st January 2021.
Regulation 5(5) of the SI provides that the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority shall appoint, on such terms and conditions as are specified in writing, to the Determination Panel 3 independent legal professionals nominated by the Attorney General. In this regard, I can inform the Deputy that the Attorney General nominated Mr Simon Boyle SC, Mr John Punch SC and Mr Mark Harty SC.
Regulation 11(1) of SI 318 provides that “the Minister shall appoint, on such terms and conditions as are specified in writing, one or more than one person nominated by the Attorney General, who is a practising barrister or solicitor of not less than five years standing, to consider an appeal...”. In this regard, I can inform the Deputy that the Attorney General nominated Mr Patrick McGrath SC.
I am advised that the Attorney General made these nominations taking into account such factors as the background, experience and suitability of each nominee and their familiarity with litigation and judicial review.
