Ceisteanna Parlaiminte

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

302. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will introduce compensation for farmers whose forest have been affected by ash dieback; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11402/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

529. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware that TAMS applications are taking up to 24 months to be assessed by his Department and is causing great uncertainty in the industry including suppliers and contractors; if he will intervene to ensure that TAMS applications are processed in a timely way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10588/24]

Hedge Cutting

Seán Canney

442. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will extend the time for the planting of whitethorn hedging until net planting season due to the current state of groundwater on land and the scarcity of the hedging roots under the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7407/24]

Animal Diseases

Seán Canney

302. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has tested wild deer in the Kilcolgan and Kinvara area of County Galway for TB over the past five years; if so, the results; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7391/24]

Animal Diseases

Seán Canney

303. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has tested badgers in the Kilcolgan and Kinvara areas of County Galway for TB over the past five years; if so, the results; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7392/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

404. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider extending the fodder support scheme to include a farmer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5483/24]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1169. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is mandatory for organic farmers to register with organisations (details supplied) in order to qualify for grant payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56437/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1194. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider issuing an interim payment to farmers who have qualified for ACRES in light of the delays with the overall payments to help alleviate the financial burden on farmers at this time of the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56524/23]

Beef Sector

Seán Canney

1221. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a compensation package for farmers whose animals have been devalued as a consequence of the change in star ratings as introduced by an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56954/23]

Beef Sector

Seán Canney

1222. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will suspend the introduction of the changes introduced by an organisation (details supplied) to star ratings to allow for a full evaluation of the losses that some farmers will endure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56955/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1224. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the list of eligible measures under TAMS to include new agtech equipment and innovations which can improve animal health and welfare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56980/23]

Agriculture Industry

Seán Canney

598. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what supports are available to co-operative marts which have to upgrade infrastructure to meet health and safety standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54462/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

601. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he would reconsider the treatment of established woodland under the ACRES scheme, as currently farmers who have extensive parts of their land under established woodland are not getting sufficient benefit for this environmental benefit from the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54589/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

602. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider establishing a scheme to maintain woodland due to the environmental benefits which will accrue, while recognising that this is a long-term project with no financial return for an individual landowner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54590/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

610. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if late applications will be accepted to the unharvested crop scheme in exceptional force majeure circumstances as a number of farmers who have suffered significant losses lost out on applying for the scheme due to the short duration during which applications were open and this has taken a significant toll on their physical, mental and financial health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54742/23]

Professional Qualifications

Seán Canney

134. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine why his farm advisory system refuses to recognise a soil science module from a Level 9 course as equivalent to a level 8 module as validated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53996/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

397. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a young farmer who started farming in 2023, who has a herd number and who applied for BISS in 2023 and who has leased land for five years in January 2023 can enter the new tranche of ACRES; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50731/23]

Animal Culls

Seán Canney

890. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the plans in place to cull the wild deer herd, which is causing serious risk to motorists as they are coming onto public roads in darkness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47372/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

70. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware that organic farmers are being discriminated against under ACRES due to the scoring system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46300/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

73. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he plans to review the proportionality of financial penalties being imposed on farmers for administrative errors; if he believes that his Department is taking account of proportionality in deciding penalties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46303/23]

Hen Harriers

Seán Canney

87. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider giving priority to ACRES applications where hen harrier designations exist, given these farmers currently have a designation but no compensation is available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46299/23]

Fodder Crisis

Seán Canney

102. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a fodder support scheme for farmers in the Shannon Callows who lost their fodder due to the flooding of the Callows in summer 2023 and who are now without fodder for the winter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46302/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

109. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for further details on the increased budget being made available for the ewe premium scheme; the amount per ewe; when will it be paid; if the criteria or terms and conditions will change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46301/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

380. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will accept applications submitted to the ACRES scheme by a planner which for technical reasons were never properly accepted by his Department (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43409/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

493. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he expects payments to commence for the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42602/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1282. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason woodland on a farm is not recognised in the new acres scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37912/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1294. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine what funding was in place for the 2022 BISS scheme; what funding is in place for the 2023 scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38148/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1295. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application by a person (details supplied) for the fodder scheme 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38152/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1311. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeframe for approval for applications under TAMS 3 which closed on 30 June 2023; if there are delays in the approval process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38522/23]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

1314. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a forest owner who fells an ash plantation that has been affected by ash dieback will have to return his forestry payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38621/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1333. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when approval letters will issue in relation to TAMS Tranche 3; if he is aware of the stress that the delay in issuing TAMS approvals is causing to farmers who wished to have sheds in place for the coming winter; what is the cause of the current delay as farmers in Tranche 2 received approval letters within four to six weeks of the closing date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39196/23]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

909. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will be approved and commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35862/23]

Environmental Investigations

Seán Canney

568. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how many soil testing labs are approved by his Department, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33672/23]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

487. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the new ash dieback scheme will be extended to forest owners who received the previous support but who have lost financially; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21320/23]

Horticulture Sector

Seán Canney

305. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the scheme of investment aid for the development of the commercial horticulture sector will be made available; if he is aware of the difficulties that the delay in this scheme is having on commercial horticulture farmers, particularly young farmers; if he can reassure farmers that the scheme will be made available in 2023; if he will provide a detailed timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20251/23]

Transfer of Entitlements

Seán Canney

310. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason agricultural planners can no longer witness signatures for his Department’s application forms, such as transfer of entitlements; if he is aware of the inconvenience and additional cost this is causing farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20266/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

441. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if tillage land was eligible for ANC payments prior to 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19168/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

448. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers ruled out of the ANC scheme for reasons other than not meeting stocking density criteria in 2020, 2021 and 2022, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19277/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

454. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the investment aid for the development of the commercial horticulture sector will be in place in 2023 in order to give security to the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19521/23]

Hen Harriers

Seán Canney

355. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) will receive the hen harrier scheme payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15979/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1551. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of difficulties experienced by farmers applying for the fodder scheme who were informed online that their applications were submitted and were later told that the application had not been received (details supplied); the number of farmers that are affected by this problem; his plans to address such problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12839/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1572. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) whose REAP scheme ended in January 2023 can apply for the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13446/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

4. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will initiate a review of cases where farmers failed to tick the areas of natural constraint, ANC, box, did not receive the payment and were subsequently unsuccessful on appeal, as this was a simple administrative error which resulted in a 100% penalty and came at a time when his Department had recently introduced the need to do applications online, and many farmers forced to do these applications online first ticked a box stating there was no change to their application and then subsequently did not receive their ANC payments; if he accepts that part of this problem stems from the change to the online system, and the poor design and phrasing of questions in the new system; if he recognises that because these payments were for marginal land, predominantly in the west of the country, the farmers affected were mostly in poorer agricultural regions and therefore more heavily reliant on these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9696/23]

Hedge Cutting

Seán Canney

10. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on how farmers should dispose of cuttings from hedge trimming on their land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9692/23]

Environmental Policy

Seán Canney

20. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the influence the EPA report on targets to re-wetlands and the proposed reductions in herd numbers will have on policy in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9694/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

42. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will accept all 46,000 applicants to the current tranche of the ACRES scheme; the plans he has to introduce a gap payment to farmers locked out of the ACRES scheme in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9693/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

49. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is his intention to increase the payment for the sheep welfare scheme to €30 per ewe, as requested by the farming organisations, due to the poor prices for sheep and the increase in the cost of feedstuffs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9691/23]

Agriculture Industry

Seán Canney

57. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the proposed Wool Council; the terms of reference for this council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9695/23]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

354. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is his intention to increase the payment for the sheep welfare scheme to €30 per ewe, as requested by the farming organisations due to the poor prices for sheep and the increase in the cost of feedstuffs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12084/23]

Grant Payments

Seán Canney

1760. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider overhauling the current grants regime in order that farmers can bank the money they receive year by year and not face recoupments going back up to five years in relation to money that is long spent; if his attention has been drawn to the stress that these recoupments are placing on farmers and the fact that changes to schemes can ensure that a farmer’s payments are withheld if they do not reach targets, as opposed to recouped over many years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63365/22]