Parliamentary questions

Agriculture Schemes

Claire Kerrane

86. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will seek to ensure that farmers who choose the later reporting option for national sheep welfare scheme measures do not have their payment delayed until after January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18240/24]

Wind Energy Generation

Michael Moynihan

87. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will consider a scheme to support more wind powered microgeneration on farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10857/24]

Agriculture Supports

James O'Connor

88. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken to help farmers following the wet weather in recent months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18436/24]

Fisheries Protection

Catherine Connolly

89. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 129 of 21 February 2024, the status of plans for the introduction of measures to protect the sprat fishery, which is concentrated within the six-nautical-mile zone; to provide an update on the recent public consultation on trawling activity inside the six-nautical-mile zone and the baselines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18275/24]

Nitrates Usage

Paul Murphy

90. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has any assessment of the impact the removal of the nitrates derogation would have on Irish water quality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18333/24]

Trade Agreements

Matt Carthy

91. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his engagements with his Cabinet colleagues regarding the Mercosur Trade Agreement. [17714/24]

Departmental Bodies

Catherine Connolly

92. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 74 of 22 February 2024, for an update on the work of the wool council; if the €30,000 in departmental funding has been drawn down to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18274/24]

Forestry Sector

Matt Carthy

93. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of new afforestation in the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024; and his target afforestation for the remainder of 2024. [17715/24]

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Murphy

94. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether any reduction in the size of the national herd is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18335/24]

Forestry Sector

Brendan Griffin

95. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the regulatory factors constraining commercial forestry growth, with a view to establishing a more industry-friendly and financially incentivised sector; if such a review would examine the timelines for planting and felling licensing and plantation thresholds regarding broadleaf versus coniferous trees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18347/24]

Nitrates Usage

Jackie Cahill

96. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if low-intensity farmers who import slurry onto their land could have their calculation based on the preceding year's stocking rate as this would provide clarity to low-intensity farmers as to the quantity of slurry they could import for the coming year and considering this would greatly encourage the importation of slurry onto their land and assist in reaching climate targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15016/24]

Forestry Sector

Brendan Smith

97. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that will be implemented to deal with difficulties that have emerged from ash dieback and the concerns about spruce bark beetle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18425/24]

Agriculture Industry

Bernard Durkan

98. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which efforts are being made to manage grasslands and tillage lands, given the sharp increase in rainfall; if consideration will be given to adequate drainage as opposed to allowing widespread flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18340/24]

Control of Horses

Pádraig O'Sullivan

99. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on his Department’s plans to simply and modernise the Control of Horses Act 1996, as per the summer legislative programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18281/24]

Food Industry

Bernard Durkan

100. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent, if any, to which he has noticed an increased level of dairy produce into this country notwithstanding the fact that we still continue to export more than is produced here; if any reason is given as to why there should be a diminution of dairy produce displayed in supermarkets here; if consideration is being given to where this might end; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18339/24]

Animal Slaughtering

Thomas Gould

101. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of horse deaths recorded in Cork in 2023. [18410/24]

Tillage Sector

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

102. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to assist tillage farmers in Carlow who are facing unprecedented weather conditions. [18299/24]

Agriculture Supports

Cathal Crowe

103. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if, in light of extreme weather patterns in recent years and in particular the flooding of lands and high water table, he will consider providing a grant scheme to farmers to develop land drains on their boundaries. [18374/24]

Nitrates Usage

Paul Murphy

104. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has any ‘plan B’ if the nitrates derogation is abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18336/24]

Further and Higher Education

Peadar Tóibín

105. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department collates statistics on the number of persons who obtain a green certificate qualification; and, if so, if he will provide a year-by-year breakdown of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17666/24]