Written Answers Nos. 574-588
574. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he can address the issue of turbary rights and the ownership of a parcel of land (details supplied) of bog/land; if the Irish Land Commission has the responsibility to deal with this area; if he has the right, as Minister, to hold the title given that the land has been paid for by the tenant purchasers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33936/23]
View answerOfficials in the Land Branch of my Department have informed me that following the acquisition of the Nolan Farrell estate the entire townland of Derry, Knock, Co. Mayo comprising 271a -2a- 20p was registered on Folio MY 4933 on 3 May 1906 as being in the ownership of the Congested District Board (CDB). Thereafter, a Vesting and Charging Order dated 14 of February 1911 vested an area of 185a-2r-7p in the four occupying tenants at that time which left a balance of 86a-0r-33p on the folio. This remaining 86 acre area corresponds with the area the Deputy is enquiring about. I am satisfied that the area of land at issue here is land that remains in the registered ownership of the Trustees of the CDB. The CDB was wound up in 1923 and all property vested in it was transferred to the Irish Land Commission (ILC) under section 7(2) of the Land Law (Commission) Act 1923. The ILC has since been dissolved and all property vested in it has transferred to me as Minister for Agriculture under s. 5 of the Irish Land Commission (Dissolution) Act 1992.
With regard to turbary rights over this land I am informed that when the CDB began dealings with the townland of Derry, the parcel detailed above was subject to existing turbary rights, the details of which are recorded on the Schedule of Areas. The Schedule of Areas is a document drawn up by the former CDB/ILC to record what the occupancy position was at the time the lands were acquired. This document forms part of the historical records held in my Department relating to the CDB dealings with these lands.
575. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if, given that a parcel of land (details supplied) was subject to dual ownership, he can clarify whether there was any evidence of tenants surrendering their interests, either through formal agreement, purchase, or court order; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33937/23]
View answerOfficials in the Lands Branch of my Department have informed me that, having examined the relevant estate files, there are no records held to support the statement relating to dual ownership of the lands detailed above. These lands were not recorded as being occupied by tenants when the lands were acquired. Records held note these lands as being in the ownership and occupation of the landlord and were subject to active turbary rights.
576. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to confirm if the Congested Districts Board authorised, under any Land Act, regulations at the time to seize lands occupied by tenants without formal agreement or purchase; if so, under which specific provisions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33938/23]
View answerI am informed by my Officials that it is not possible to provide the information sought within the short timeframe available given that research will have to be undertaken before a definitive reply can issue. I am assured however that my Department will reply to the Deputy within the next two weeks.
577. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to explain the detailed system that the Congested Districts Board used to purchase land from tenants and the terms of repayment that were agreed upon; if it can be confirmed that the tenants repaid the full cost of the purchase; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33939/23]
View answerI am unable to supply the information sought by the Deputy on the detailed system that the Congested Districts Board used to purchase land from tenants because this information has been lost to the Department.
The Congested Districts Board of Ireland was dissolved under legislation in 1923 and my officials do not have any knowledge of these matters. I can clarify however that the CDB never purchased land from tenants. I am informed by my Officials that this fact together with the lack of any specific land identified in your question means that my Department is unable to provide any further information to you on this matter.
578. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding provided to Cork City Council for the control of horses in 2023 to date [34077/23]
View answerUnder the Control of Horses Act 1996, local authorities may take a range of actions in relation to equines. My Department provides financial support to help local authorities to, among other activities, facilitate equine seizures.
To date in 2023 my Department has paid €1,375 to Cork City Council for the control of horses.
579. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of horses seized under the Control of Horses Act 1996 in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [34097/23]
View answerThe number of horses seized under the Control of Horses Act 1996 in each of the past five years, based on the data provided to my Department by local authorities, is set out in the table below.
|
Horses Seized by Year |
|
|
2018 |
1460 |
|
2019 |
1050 |
|
2020 |
819 |
|
2021 |
477 |
|
2022 |
326 |
580. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 505 of 9 May 2023, if he will detail the value in euro by animal category, in addition to the quantity in number of head of live sheep exported from the State, by the country that it was exported to over the past five calendar years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34129/23]
View answer581. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 506 of 9 May 2023, if he will detail the value in euro, in addition to the quantity in head, by animal category, (details supplied) of live sheep imported into the State, by the country that it was imported from over the past five calendar years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34130/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 580 and 581 together.
Imports and exports of live sheep are recorded on the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES).
TRACES is the European Commission's online platform for sanitary and phytosanitary certification required for the importation of animals, animal products, food and feed of non-animal origin and plants into the European Union, intra-EU trade and EU exports of animals and certain animal products
My Department uses the TRACES to record all sheep movements between Ireland and all other jurisdictions whether for slaughter, breeding or fattening purposes. Traditionally, most live sheep imported into Ireland have come from the UK, including Northern Ireland.
The TRACES system does not record monetary values but rather the total volumes of a particular animal.
582. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department or any agency under the aegis of his Department operates a ‘barter account’ for the provision of goods or services; if so, if payments have been directed to be made to a barter account during the period 2011 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34141/23]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not operate a ‘barter account’ for the provision of goods or services and therefore no such payments have been made during the period 2011 to date.
As regards the 12 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.
583. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there is grant aid available for drainage works on farm land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34159/23]
View answerA suite of ten schemes are available under TAMS 3. Nine of these schemes were launched under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and are co-funded under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The final Scheme 'Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme' launched under CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027.
These schemes were launched between 22nd February 2023 and 21st June 2023 and the first tranche closed on 30th June 2023, with the Tranche 2 opening on the 1st July.
As part of the launch of the TAMS 3 scheme, I have had a wide range of new investments included under the suite of ten TAMS 3 schemes. However, the budget for the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation scheme (TAMS) is now fully committed, support for land drainage is not included as an eligible item.
584. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a schedule of persons used by Horse Racing Ireland to promote a primary teaching resource (details supplied) since its introduction; and the fees paid to influencers in respect of same. [34300/23]
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, therefore, the question has been referred to the body for direct reply.
585. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 507 of 27 June 2023, if he will provide specific scoring deadlines across all ACRES streams; if he will clarify if within the co-operation project stream there are different scoring deadlines for Department-hired advisors and privately hired advisors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34306/23]
View answerFor the avoidance of any doubt, I wish to reiterate that all ACRES participants are subject to the same scoring timelines. The deadline for the submission of scorecards is 31 August, 2023. I also wish to clarify that there are no “Department-hired” advisors. The ACRES participant chooses their own advisor at the time of application. That advisor must be approved by my Department, having completed ACRES training and satisfied other requirements.
Scorecards are being submitted daily by approved ACRES advisors, who have access to a Department developed mobile phone app, AgriSnap, to streamline the submission of scorecards.
Scoring of land at the correct time of the year is an integral part of the results-based payment model and is essential to ensure the correct payment rate is assigned to the land in question. It is essential that all lands are scored by 31 August 2023 to ensure the best period for scoring and so that payments can be delivered commencing in November 2023.
586. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of dairy farms in each county; to outline, in tabular form, the number of dairy farms with the following: less than 100 dairy cows, 101 to 150 dairy cows, 151 to 200 dairy cows, 201 to 250 dairy cows, 251 to 300 dairy cows, 301 to 350 dairy cows, 351-400 dairy cows, and farms with more than 400 dairy cows; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34332/23]
View answerBased on the current information available to my Department the following table details the number of dairy farms in each county according to alphabetical order
|
County |
No of Dairy farms |
|
Carlow |
177 |
|
Cavan |
614 |
|
Clare |
528 |
|
Cork |
3,810 |
|
Donegal |
225 |
|
Dublin |
25 |
|
Galway |
486 |
|
Kerry |
1,403 |
|
Kildare |
169 |
|
Kilkenny |
888 |
|
Laois |
478 |
|
Leitrim |
38 |
|
Limerick |
1,319 |
|
Longford |
140 |
|
Louth |
159 |
|
Mayo |
297 |
|
Meath |
474 |
|
Monaghan |
569 |
|
Offaly |
390 |
|
Roscommon |
101 |
|
Sligo |
132 |
|
Tipperary |
1,714 |
|
Waterford |
720 |
|
Westmeath |
278 |
|
Wexford |
785 |
|
Wicklow |
236 |
The breakdown of the number of cows on dairy farms is described in the following table.
|
Dairy cow numbers |
No of dairy herds |
|
<100 |
11,143 |
|
100-150 |
2,900 |
|
151-200 |
1,050 |
|
201-250 |
471 |
|
251-300 |
242 |
|
301-350 |
136 |
|
351-400 |
85 |
|
400+ |
128 |
Detailed information on dairy cow numbers by year is published in the June and December editions of the CSO Crops and Livestock Survey each year, which is available on the CSO website
587. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the progress in applying for PGI status for boxty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34341/23]
View answerGeographical Indications identify a product whose quality, reputation or other such characteristics are linked to its geographical origin. Once a producer or producer group has drafted the product specification and the product's link to the geographical area, the application is sent to my Department to assess its suitability for progressing to the next stage.
My Department, as the Competent Authority for Protected Geographical Indications (PGI), checks that the application and product specification are compliant with the relevant European Commission Regulations governing the scheme.
As part of that scrutiny, a number of communications have taken place between my Department and the applicant concerned with a view to ensuring that the application is compliant with the requirements.
Once my Department has completed its scrutiny and is satisfied that the application complies with the European Commission Regulation requirements, the application can move to the next stage.
588. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a full list of the individual projects/schemes funded under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve Fund spend of €271 million by his Department; the amount of funding allocated in each case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34373/23]
View answerThe list of financial allocations from my Department under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) Fund for each of the years 2022 and 2023 is set out below.
Table 1 2022 BAR Allocation
|
Sector/Scheme |
2022 BAR Allocation €000 |
|
Sector/Scheme |
2022 BAR Allocation €000 |
|
Horticulture |
1,500 |
|
Marketing and Processing |
5,300 |
|
Fisheries |
33,200 |
|
Total |
40,000 |
Table 2 2023 BAR Allocation
|
Sector/Scheme |
2023 BAR Allocation €000 |
|
Sector/Scheme |
2023 BAR Allocation €000 |
|
Meat and Bone Meal Disposal |
20,000 |
|
Horticulture |
9,850 |
|
Beef |
28,000 |
|
Marketing and Processing |
17,000 |
|
Equine Supports |
1,000 |
|
Fisheries |
162,150 |
|
Total |
238,000 |
My Department is working closely with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to maximise the funding from BAR that is available to the various areas within the agri-food sector. Ultimately the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform will determine which schemes form part of Ireland’s BAR claim which is due to be submitted in September 2024
