Written Answers Nos. 247-261
247. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their disadvantage area aid payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3292/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 30 March 2014, processing of which has recently been completed. Payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme is due to issue directly to the nominated bank account of the person named shortly.
248. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has been refused payment under the 2014 area-based compensatory allowances scheme. [3307/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 1 April 2014. Following the processing of this application issues relating to the verification of compliance with the minimum stocking density were identified.
Under 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, there are two criteria to be satisfied in relation to those applicants availing of equines to meet the minimum stocking density requirement. First, the holding itself must meet the definition of an Equine Breeding Enterprise and second, horses, in order to be taken into account for stocking density purposes, must be aged one to five years and, where older, must be a breeding mare for the purposes of the Scheme and recorded as in the ownership of the applicant.
The person named submitted seven equine passports to my Department, of which two met the Scheme requirements. Of the remaining five equine passports; three were in respect of mares over the age of five of which there were no foals recorded in years 2011, 2012 and or 2013. The remaining two equine passports submitted, none of which were recorded as in the ownership of the person named, in addition to both being over the age of five of which there were no foals recorded in years 2011, 2012 and or 2013. Therefore, as the requirements of the Scheme were not met, no payment is due to the person named under the 2014 Scheme.
249. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the native woodlands scheme will be brought back; if so, the form of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3325/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Native Woodland (Establishment) measure is now an integral part of the recently opened Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme. It has a separate Grant and Premium Category (GPC) under the Scheme and applicants can either apply for approval to plant solely within that GPC or in combination with a mix of other GPCs. As regards native woodland conservation, my Department is currently awaiting EU approval of its Forestry Programme (2014 to 2020). Details regarding the opening of other measures, including native woodland conservation, will be announced by my Department shortly afterwards.
250. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress to date on the implementation of the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, report; the status of each of its recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3386/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile statutory responsibility and funding for the CEDRA actions remains with the relevant lead Departments, implementation of the CEDRA report is underway and is currently being directed through the CEDRA Interdepartmental Group (CEDRA IDG) which was established last August. There have been three meetings of this group which is chaired by Minister Ann Phelan. The initial evaluation and assignment of each recommendation has been made in line with statutory responsibility and a multi-sectoral CEDRA work programme with specific actions is being finalised.
The 34 main CEDRA recommendations are sub-divided giving a total of 41 recommendations to be advanced. On the basis of information received from the lead Departments involved, the assessment of the CEDRA IDG is that 4 recommendations have been delivered, substantial and on-going action is being taken on a further 6; action has commenced and is progressing well on a further 16 while action on the remaining 15 recommendations is either at the commencement stage or awaiting updated information to enable an accurate evaluation be made.
Primary responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the CEDRA report will shortly fall within the remit of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.
251. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a rural environment protection scheme payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3393/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis REPS 4 contract commenced in May 2009 and payments were made for the first five years of the contract.
REPS 4 is a measure under the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme and is subject to EU regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before any payments can issue. Following a request to the Department for a change of name to the REPS Agri-environment Plan a letter issued from the Department in October 2013 and again in February 2014 requesting evidence of the legal status of the holding. To date this requirement has not been met by the herdowner.
252. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the policy of unannounced farm inspections. [3409/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the context of delivering the Direct Payment Schemes and Rural Development measures my Department is required to carry out on-the-spot inspections on a number of farms covering such issues as eligibility under the Scheme and compliance with Cross Compliance requirements, as set down in EU legislation, and the standards for Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC), in the areas of the environment, climate change and good agricultural condition of land; public, animal and plant health and animal welfare. These inspections are mandatory and there are certain minimum numbers and types of inspections that must take place annually.
Rules regarding the advance notification of inspections are clearly laid down in the governing EU regulations and must be adhered to by officials in my Department. The regulations allow my Department to give notice for land eligibility and cross-compliance inspections involving SMRs other than those related to animal identification and registration, food, feed, and animal welfare. However this notice must be strictly limited to the minimum time period necessary and shall not exceed 14 days. For checks involving cattle and sheep identification and registration the maximum advance notice is 48 hours. For SMRs dealing with feed, food and animal welfare no advance notice may be given and these inspections must take place on an unannounced basis. Where it is considered that the purpose or effectiveness of any type of inspection may be jeopardised by giving notice, the inspection will take place on an unannounced basis. In determining the type of notice to be given for an inspection a number of factors are considered so as to ensure that the inspection process is not jeopardised.
There is a comprehensive appeal system in place for applicants to avail of if they consider that the inspection has not been conducted in accordance with legislative requirements or if they are unhappy with the inspection findings. This appeal system incorporates an initial review by an officer more senior than the inspecting officer, with the option to appeal the outcome of any such review to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office. In the event that an applicant is not satisfied with the outcome of this review he/she has the right to pursue the matter further with the Office of the Ombudsman. The Department has established a Farm Advisory System under the Direct Payment Schemes to give advice to applicants and it is recommended any applicant with any inspection concerns whatsoever avail of this service, which involves Teagasc and private agricultural consultants, to allay any such concerns.
253. Deputy Dinny McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment of a disadvantaged area premium for 2014 will issue to a person (details supplied) County Donegal. [3419/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 15 May 2014, processing of which has recently been completed. Payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme is due to issue directly to the nominated bank account of the person named shortly.
254. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the maximum age of a horse so that it will be eligible to be counted as a livestock unit under the area-based compensatory allowances scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3429/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe detailed requirements for the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme form part of the Rural Development Programme, which is currently under negotiation with the EU Commission. Under 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, there were two criteria to be satisfied in relation to those applicants availing of equines to meet the minimum stocking density requirement Firstly, the holding itself must have complied with the definition of an Equine Breeding Enterprise. Equine Breeding Enterprises are defined as follows: an applicant must, in the first instance, be an equine breeder and have bred a foal, from a mare registered as on the applicant’s holding in 2013, in either 2011, 2012 or 2013, which was registered in a Stud Book approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with pedigree recorded (sire and dam).
Where these criteria are met, the following horses were then eligible for inclusion in the stocking density calculation for the 2014 Scheme, where adherence to S.I. 357 of 2011, European Communities (Equine) Regulations 2011, and S.I. 189 of 2014 Equidea (Transfer of Ownership) Regulations 2014 is met. All horses aged one year to five years, (aged using 1 January), registered in the name of the applicant in accordance with EU Regulation 504/2008 and maintained on his/her holding; breeding mares, registered as having been on the applicant’s holding in 2013, that have bred an appropriately registered foal in either 2011, 2012 or 2013.
Furthermore, the premises of all who meet this criteria must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in accordance with S.I. No. 8 of 2013, Diseases of Animals Act 1966 (Registration of Horse Premises) Order 2013.
255. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Limerick received payment for only one of nine entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3523/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted an application for the 2014 Single Payment and Disadvantaged Areas Schemes on 14 May 2014.
My Department informed the person named on 21 July 2014 that unused Standard Single Payment Entitlements at a value of €207.98 each were reverting to the National Reserve as per the Terms and Conditions of the scheme. The remaining Single Payment Entitlements held were paid on 23 October 2014 and 1 December 2014.
No payment is due under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme as the person named had insufficient stocking density on his land per the Regulations governing the scheme.
256. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there has been or will be testing of greyhounds for the new and reportedly widely-used drug stanozolol, particularly in view of the fact that despite the annual €2 million spent on regulation in the greyhound industry the Irish Greyhound Board has yet to identify a dog with stanozolol in its system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3542/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraBord na gCon is the statutory body responsible for the regulation of greyhound racing under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 . In addition Bord na gCon has specific statutory powers conferred on it in the Greyhound Industry (Racing) Regulations 2007 , which relate to the conduct of greyhound racing.
Bord na gCon has confirmed to officials in my Department that its drug surveillance services test for the presence of stanozolol and that there have been no confirmed cases of stanozolol reported for Bord na gCon samples to date.
In July 2014 my Department published the findings from a study, commissioned by my Department and conducted by Indecon into “Certain matters relating to Bord na gCon” . Indecon in accordance with its Terms of Reference considered the area of regulation and made a number of recommendations in this regard. The response of Bord na gCon to the Indecon report, which sets out a programme of action and a timeline for delivery, can be found on the Bord na gCon website.
Bord na gCon has recently completed a public consultation on proposed regulatory reform and intends to conduct further public consultations on this topic in the future. It has also launched a Review into Anti-Doping and Medication Control which is being led by Professor Tim Morris, with a view to strengthening the regulatory systems within the industry.
In parallel, officials from my Department have already commenced the process of identifying the legislative changes that are required to give effect to the recommendations contained in the Indecon report.
It is my firm belief that the future of the greyhound industry is dependent on the stakeholders having trust and confidence in the industry, and this is contingent on the industry having the highest standards of integrity founded on strong regulatory systems. The Board and the Executive of Bord na gCon have assured me that they share my view and are doing their utmost to enhance the regulatory systems underpinning the industry to ensure that they are effective and fit-for-purpose.
I expect that Bord na gCon, who as I outlined at the outset is the state body responsible for the regulation of greyhound racing, will be happy to provide additional detail sought by the Deputy on this topic.
257. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his view on the move to replace five of the seven board members of the Irish Greyhound Board, IGB; if he will provide details of the five outgoing members of the IGB board; when they will be replaced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3543/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe legislative provisions governing the appointment of members to the Board of Bord na gCon are contained in the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 , as amended by the Greyhound Industry (Amendment) Act 1993.
In summary Board Members are appointed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine after consultation with the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The term of office of an ordinary member of the Board of Bord na gCon is 3 years. Notwithstanding the expiry of a term of office Board members continue to hold office until such time as the Minister appoints a person to replace the out-going member.
The terms of office of Mr Mattie Murphy, Ms Ríona Heffernan, Mr Timothy Gilbert and Mr Tony McNamee were due to expire on 1 December 2014, however they remain in situ until they are replaced as provided for in legislation. In addition Mr William O’Dwyer is set to complete his term of office 20 June 2015. Out-going Board members are eligible for re-appointment.
Since 2011, when the Government introduced new arrangements for appointments to State Boards, expressions of interest have been invited for vacancies arising on Bord na gCon through this Department’s website. On 30 September 2014 the Government announced further changes to this system including that all appointments should be advertised on www.stateboards.ie (operated by the Public Appointments Service (PAS)), setting out specific and detailed criteria for the relevant role. The process of drafting the role specification for a Board position involves consultation between the Chairman of the State Board, the relevant Ministers and PAS, with the Minister having the final sign-off. All appointments will, under these arrangements, be processed by way of a transparent system in order to support the relevant Minister in making appointments to State Boards. The details of the new arrangements are to be found in the “Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards” on www.stateboards.ie.
I can confirm to the Deputy that the upcoming Board vacancies in Bord na gCon will be filled in accordance with the Guidelines and have been advertised on the website of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Chairman of Bord na gCon is currently considering role specification criteria for incoming members of Bord na gCon and I expect to hear from him shortly in this regard after which I will be in a position to liaise with PAS with a view to finalising the role specification and forwarding it for publication on www.stateboards.ie. Interested applicants will be invited to apply and the appointments process will then progress to finality, in accordance with the Guidelines. The Deputy will understand that it is not possible to put a timeline on when the process will be completed.
258. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the rural development plan which was submitted to the European Commission in Brussels last July, and the latest developments from the EU regarding the Irish plan. [3561/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe draft Rural Development Plan (RDP) 2014-2020 was formally submitted to the European Commission on 3 July 2014, a number of weeks in advance of the regulatory deadline. The Commission’s formal observations on the draft RDP were received on 20 October 2014 with a total of 266 observations, incorporating a range of informational, technical and policy matters.
Negotiations in relation to the formal adoption of the RDP are currently underway between my Department and the Commission. It is, however, difficult to predict the exact timing of RDP approval given the capacity constraints experienced by the Commission in approving 118 RDPs across all Member States.
At present, Department officials are in ongoing and intensive discussion with the Commission in order to seek a speedy resolution of outstanding issues . The agreement of the new RDP and the subsequent roll-out of schemes is being pursued as a matter of priority.
259. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when 25% payment in respect of single farm payment and the agri-environment option scheme will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3573/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Payment Scheme was received in my Department from the person named on 13 May 2014. The advance payment issued on 16 October following which, on foot of a land parcel review, overclaims were discovered in respect of two land parcels. This matter has now been resolved and the application has been processed for balancing payment which will issue shortly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Agri-environment Option Scheme, a comprehensive administrative check must be completed before payments can issue. A query has arisen in relation to supporting documentation submitted by the applicant in relation to their capital investment action. My Department has written to the applicant seeking further supporting documentation for this action and further payments cannot be processed until this issue is resolved.
260. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason single farm payments were withdrawn in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3580/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted an application for the 2014 Single Payment/ Disadvantaged Areas Schemes on 8 May 2014. A dual claim arose on a land parcel to which the person named stated they did not have a right to claim. This overclaim resulted in an over 20% penalty reduction, which, based on the Terms and Conditions, results in no payment under both the 2014 Single Payment and Disadvantaged Areas Schemes . A penalty letter issued to the person named informing him of this fact and an official from my Department has also made contact with the person named to advise him of the position and of his right of appeal.
261. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update with regard to the establishment of a suckler research herd at a location (details supplied) in County Galway; the possible impact this may have on sheep numbers and sheep research at this location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3589/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs I have stated in response to recent questions on this issue, the establishment of a suckler demonstration farm in Athenry is an operational matter for Teagasc and its governing Authority, which is representative of the main stakeholder groups in the agrifood sector, including the farm organisations.
Following stakeholder representations over a number of years, Teagasc intend to establish the farm in Athenry to serve farmers in the West of Ireland. It will be modelled on the well known Greenfield dairy demonstration farm in Kilkenny, which annually attracts large numbers of farmers and discussion groups. The Greenfield model is very highly regarded, and provides a public good demonstration service to all farmers in the dairy sector. The Athenry suckler project will operate along similar lines with the aim of demonstrating to farmers, the profit that can be obtained from a well run suckler beef farm. Teagasc will disseminate the research results to farmers through its advisory service. The farm is expected to attract large numbers of farmers and discussion groups, once established.
I understand that it will be located on land rented by Teagasc in Athenry, which is not required for the Teagasc sheep research programme.
