Parliamentary questions

Departmental Expenditure

Paul Murphy

319. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the person or body that valued the Curragh Racecourse site leading to a €9 million overspend. [57140/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

320. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an organisation (details supplied) has been investigated following reports earlier in 2022 of it not having a register of members and of not knowing who its members are given that the organisation receives circa €120,000 per annum from the owners' share of the ‘tax free’ prize monies; his views on whether transparency regarding the accounts and membership of the organisation which would allow stable staff to have representation in relation to issues of staff welfare and payment is needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57141/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

198. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of all horse deaths on Irish racetracks per track from 2008 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [56817/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

613. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that the HRI published figures for race attendees include everyone who attends even those who gain free admission for example trainers, jockeys, stable staff, owners, bookies and staff, catering staff, press and racecourse staff; and if the HRI will be requested to provide the amount of paying attendees to all events for the past two years, in comparison to the figures previously published by the HRI in tabular form. [56362/22]

Animal Slaughtering

Paul Murphy

148. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that Ireland is accepting 134,995 horses for slaughter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55717/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

149. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to reports that each Irish horse racing track is averaging at least one death per meeting (details supplied), and that Punchestown is a particular worry, as are some of the other tracks, where figures of deaths outweigh the number of meetings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55739/22]

Trade Promotion

Paul Murphy

1252. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the city of Haarlem being set to become the first city in the world to ban most meat advertisements due to its negative impact on the environment; his views on the Bord Bia announcement that there will be €1 million investment in beef marketing across key UK and EU markets this autumn, given this information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54206/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

1300. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the exact breakdown of figures for thoroughbred horses that are rendered, those that die in training and those euthanised at home, in tabular form. [55302/22]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Murphy

122. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way that Ireland’s agriculture sector will reach its emissions reduction goals. [53259/22]

Trade Agreements

Paul Murphy

130. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the UK-Australia beef trade deal; and the effect that it will have on Ireland. [53257/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

750. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount in Euros and as a percentage of the horse and greyhound racing fund that was allocated and used for racehorse welfare, rehoming and retraining in 2020 and 2021. [53061/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

751. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm, in specific terms, the amount that Horse Racing Ireland spent on equine welfare in 2020 and 2021 (details supplied); and the aims, timelines and achievements for those initiatives. [53062/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

752. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount in Euros and as a percentage of the horse and greyhound racing fund that was allocated and used for horse racing prize money in 2020 and 2021. [53063/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

753. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm the racehorse prize money pool in its totality for 2020; and the percentage and the amount that was returned in direct tax. [53064/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

754. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Ireland is the only country to give direct annual financial support to racing from tax payers’ money, compared to other major thoroughbred racing and breeding nations; the reason that the Government has allocated €72.8 million for 2023 to racing given that this is a lucrative, predominantly private industry, in a free-market economy which should be able to support itself; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53065/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

755. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether the €72.8 million that is provided to the racing industry would be better spent on public health and public education, in a time of prudent fiscal management (details supplied). [53066/22]

Departmental Staff

Paul Murphy

876. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of the names of each special advisor employed by his Department since 2015, the relevant Minister they worked under and the date that their employment with the Department/Minister ceased where applicable. [51773/22]

Departmental Investigations

Paul Murphy

404. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to an incident in relation to one of his staff members which occurred on 5 September 2021; and if he will ensure that there is an internal investigation into this incident. [49285/22]

Departmental Contracts

Paul Murphy

364. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm the contracts that his Department has with top security. [49262/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

746. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount that has been paid to an organisation (details supplied) and its affiliated clubs by the Government and or Greyhound Racing Ireland in the past five years, including in the form of loans, grants or payments for mating, greyhound, litter registrations, earmarking, microchipping, DNA sampling services, advertising and so on. [48001/22]

Domestic Pets

Paul Murphy

271. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the regulations on the keeping, breeding, sale or supply of exotic pets, following the commitment in the programme for Government to introduce regulations; if there will be a public consultation; and when the regulations will be introduced. [47652/22]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

289. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure the use of a live goat will be prohibited during the Puck Fair going forward, given public opinion was hugely in favour of prohibiting the use of a live goat in future.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47474/22]

Wildlife Protection

Paul Murphy

290. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 2110 of 8 September 2022, if he agrees that by this logic, an animal is not considered wild unless it is a protected species (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47475/22]

National Parks and Wildlife Service

Paul Murphy

592. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the qualifications that a National Parks and Wildlife Service inspector has; if a vet with experience attends the inspections at Dublin Zoo; and if it has been considered that there should be a multidisciplinary team inspecting if there is such a range of animals (details supplied). [45669/22]

National Parks and Wildlife Service

Paul Murphy

593. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the National Parks and Wildlife Service attended an inspection at Dublin Zoo with an authorised officer under the Animal Welfare and Health Act 2013 and request them to issue a welfare notice at any stage since the Act was enacted in 2014 (details supplied). [45670/22]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

2092. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether stricter laws should be put in place to bring about the closure of large-scale puppy farms (details supplied); and his views on whether dogs from commercial puppy farms should not be allowed to be advertised using images that imply that they were bred in a home environment. [42045/22]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

2110. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he agrees that an event (details supplied) is in breach of both the current animal welfare legislation and the ban on wild animals being used for entertainment; and if he will take action to protect the animal involved. [42544/22]

Animal Slaughtering

Paul Murphy

2120. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 358 of 12 May 2022, if the data (details supplied) refer to just those horses sent to slaughterhouses or if they include all horses slaughtered. [42864/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

2121. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 2085 of 26 July 2022, if all groups in the United States of America have had their funding cut for the transport costs of homing greyhounds from an organisation (details supplied) in the United States. [42869/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

2128. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will reconsider the public funding for Greyhound Racing Ireland given that it has stopped funding one of its key welfare programmes, namely the Irish greyhounds to America programme (details supplied). [43026/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

2075. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider suspending horse racing during the hot weather forecast for the end of July 2022 in the interests of the equine health. [40110/22]

Agriculture Industry

Paul Murphy

2079. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views regarding the reports of thousands of tonnes of unaccounted for poultry litter in the State; the reason Teagasc is not investigating it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40236/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

2085. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that the funding of 50% of transport costs was cut in relation to a programme (details supplied); when this funding will be reinstated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40378/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

2086. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will request Greyhound Racing Ireland to investigate the reason that an Irish greyhound (details supplied) appears to be currently racing in Punjab, India given that the animal is still listed on the organisation’s website as being still registered to a syndicate in County Wicklow. [40379/22]

Climate Action Plan

Paul Murphy

9. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he plans to meet the targets for cutting agricultural emissions in the lifetime of this Government. [38535/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

10. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has conducted a review into the funding and spending of Greyhound Racing Ireland; and if so, if he will report on same. [38536/22]

Agriculture Industry

Paul Murphy

32. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions that he is taking to support small farmers who are being squeezed out by large agri-business. [38532/22]

Organic Farming

Paul Murphy

39. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions that he is taking to promote organic farming for local consumption and direct farmers' markets. [38533/22]

Forestry Sector

Paul Murphy

75. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions that he is taking to promote afforestation and biodiversity. [38534/22]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

454. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 407 of 2 June 2022, the way that it is possible that the two horses that were featured in the television programme (details supplied) last ran in Ireland in July 2019 and were then sent to slaughter in the UK, given the previous response supplied. [33380/22]

Agriculture Industry

Paul Murphy

938. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the use of grinders is allowed in Ireland with regard to chicks born within the meat and egg industry in Ireland; if it is legally permitted; and if any farms actively use them. [32812/22]

Agriculture Industry

Paul Murphy

939. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if chickens in Ireland are imported from other countries in relation to chicks born within the meat and egg industry in Ireland; and if not, if they are bred with sexed semen; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32820/22]

Greyhound Industry

Paul Murphy

553. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will end the provision of State grants for greyhound racing and ban greyhound exports given the growing movement against the cruelty involved which has prompted the recent announcement by a United Kingdom-based organisation (details supplied) that it is to minimise the importation of greyhounds from Ireland to the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31407/22]

Agriculture Industry

Paul Murphy

554. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number and location of rabbit meat farms currently operating in Ireland; the relevant legislation in the area including in relation to slaughtering methods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31460/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

1972. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 358 of 12 May 2022, if he will request Horse Racing Ireland to explain the discrepancy in figures provided (details supplied); if HRI will provide the names of the horses killed at racecourses and point-to-points and the number of horses injured including the nature of the injuries. [29466/22]

Horse Racing Industry

Paul Murphy

1973. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 906 of 29 March 2022, the reason that the figures provided in his response do not correlate with the figures previously supplied [29484/22]

Hare Coursing

Paul Murphy

406. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there has ever been a consultation between his Department and an organisation (details supplied) regarding hare coursing. [28606/22]

Live Exports

Paul Murphy

407. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 706 and 707 of 24 May 2022, if he will address a query regarding a television documentary (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28607/22]

Hare Coursing

Paul Murphy

826. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 283 and 284 of 17 May 2022, his views that it would be better practice to have coursing specifically detailed in the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 rather than regulation by the organisation (details supplied). [27714/22]

Animal Welfare

Paul Murphy

706. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions that have been taken by his Department to ensure the welfare of Irish thoroughbreds and other racing horses being sent to UK slaughterhouses since the broadcasting of a television programme (details supplied); and the measures that have been put in place to stop such transportation of Irish horses to UK slaughterhouses. [25900/22]