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]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1768. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that the areas of the Ballyboy, Cregaclare Turlough, Ballyboy, Ardrahan, County Galway, are excluded from the ACRES scheme given that they are areas of important ecological value; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63472/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1827. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person who has been willed a farm holding as a sole beneficiary but probate has not yet been completed can participate in the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1138/23]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

671. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the compensation plans that his Department is putting in place to support farmers whose forest has been affected by ash dieback; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61831/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

119. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will open applications for the ACRES in early 2023 to allow farmers who could not meet the 2022 application deadline to qualify for a payment in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61447/22]

Agriculture Supports

Seán Canney

782. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of entitlements in the national reserve for young farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59106/22]

Probation and Welfare Service

Seán Canney

792. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider changing the criterial for the ACRES scheme to allow flock keepers to make applications as many farms throughout the country are going through probate following the death of a herd owner and these families risk losing out on the ACRES scheme as they are herd keepers as opposed to herd owners while legal matters are being dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57893/22]

Animal Diseases

Seán Canney

793. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will change the current regime to ensure that scans are accepted as proof of a cow being in-calf in cases of TB outbreaks as farmers risk losing significant sums of money if a post-mortem examination fails to pick up on the fact that a cow was in the early stages of being in-calf; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57894/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

603. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department intends to remove the dribble bar as a suitable mechanism for low-emissions slurry spreading from the TAMS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56180/22]

Agriculture Industry

Seán Canney

604. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he can provide an assurance that if farmers purchase a dribble bar for low-emissions slurry spreading, that this will continue to be an acceptable practice into the future, given that many farmers are fearful of making the necessary investment only to find that the rules change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56181/22]

Agriculture Supports

Seán Canney

605. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports he will put in place for sheep farmers in view of the fact they have missed out on the fodder scheme and that the sheep welfare scheme has not provided any additional money in budget 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56182/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

334. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider extending the deadline for the ACRES past the current deadline of 21 November 2022 for a further four weeks to allow farmers and agri-planners to arrange the necessary on-farm inspections in advance of applications being made, given many farmers will be locked out of the scheme otherwise; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56026/22]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

771. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the new forestry programme will be launched; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53361/22]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

772. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a support scheme to support forestry in view of the delay in launching the new forestry programme; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this delay has pushed many small businesses to the brink of closure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53363/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

873. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his rationale for requiring farmers applying for the new beef suckler scheme 2023 to be Bord Bia quality-assured given that the Bord Bia audit is another cross-compliance check for farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51565/22]

Animal Passports

Seán Canney

777. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing a system by which digital copies of equine passports can be sent electronically to his Department to have them uploaded to the central database as opposed to forcing persons to travel and incur significant cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49487/22]

Pension Provisions

Seán Canney

2065. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is willing to address the anomaly in which a person (details supplied) who worked in a semi-State body has no recognition in terms of pension of their years of work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39827/22]

EU Funding

Seán Canney

807. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of funding that this Government will receive from the EU crisis reserve fund; the level of funding the Irish Government will top it up with; and the additional supports that this funding will provide for farmers in this deepening escalation of input prices. [27412/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

416. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that applicants for the Beef Data and Genomics Programme have experienced difficulty (details supplied) in relation to same; his views on whether cases in which all other conditions of the scheme have been met should be treated in a common sense manner and be accepted and processed by his Department without need for recourse to the agri appeals office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27113/22]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

937. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an organisation (details supplied) has submitted its final report on the review of the legislation and the full examination of the regulatory system for the forestry licencing; if the report has been finalised, if he will provide details of the findings; when he will introduce the recommended changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17973/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

403. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will include the equine sector in future TAMS on farm investment schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13651/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

107. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason farmers who make simple errors in online applications are not having their problems rectified within his Department’s appeals process, including, for example, farmers who fail to tick an areas of natural constraint, ANC, box on a basic payment scheme, BPS, application, who are not having this simple matter rectified by the section involved on appeal; if his attention has been drawn to the number of farmers who have lost significant amounts of funding as a result of this inflexibility; if a review will be conducted into the number of such instances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5968/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

148. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports he plans to put in place to support farmers in relation to the high cost of inputs including fertiliser due to the extraordinary increase in the price of inputs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5967/22]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

157. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce a new licensing regime for single forestry applications to include planting, thinning and felling of forests to give certainty to farmers and persons involved in the forestry business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5971/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

176. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider amending the sheep welfare scheme to allow farmers who were forced out of the scheme for a year due to significant ill health or other exceptional circumstances to re-enter the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5970/22]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

229. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of reviews or appeals sent to his Department that are successful; if the percentage of these reviews or appeals which are being decided in the client’s favour has decreased in recent years; his views on whether clients seeking a review decision are having their cases reviewed in a fair and compassionate manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57720/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

230. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of appeals received by his Department in each of the years 2016 to 2020 not including appeals to the agriculture appeals office; the percentage of those which were successful in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57721/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

231. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of appeals received in the agriculture appeals office in each of the years 2016 to 2020; the percentage of those which were successful in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57722/21]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

726. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will apply the maximum timelines on each application in a functioning licensing system for forestry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54706/21]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

727. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a refined timeframe will be provided for the implementation of the MacKinnon Report on the review of the approval process for forestation in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54707/21]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

728. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a single licence application system to deal with planting, thinning and harvesting to give certainty to the forestry industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54708/21]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

729. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will set up a forestry development agency to promote and represent the forestry sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54709/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1244. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures in place in relation to the BEAM scheme in circumstances in which farmers test positive for TB and have their herd restricted and therefore cannot sell cattle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53002/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

767. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider changing the criteria of appeal regarding ANC payments for persons who ticked the wrong box and made a clerical error online but whose difficulties have not been rectified through the appeals process which is only of benefit if farmers were ill or incapacitated at the time but not to those who made a simple error while using the online system; his views on the fact that many farmers have made such errors since they were forced to do the applications online in 2018 such as persons (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the number of farmers who met the stocking density but who were not paid more than doubled from 109 in 2018 to 239 in 2019; if his attention has been further drawn to the hardship that this lack of payment caused; his further views on whether the current inability of his Department to put in systems to address this problem is a serious administrative flaw; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48109/21]

Veterinary Services

Seán Canney

792. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he plans to allow all veterinary medicines to be dispensed by farm supply companies; if he will elaborate on his approach to ensuring that this happens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43509/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

3360. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will issue simple guidance to farmers to assist them in reducing their herd numbers to comply with the BEAM scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39210/21]

Agriculture Industry

Seán Canney

4. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to organise the sheep wool industry in Ireland to ensure that sheep farmers get a fair price for their produce. [37226/21]

Climate Action Plan

Seán Canney

9. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the increase in budget his Department will receive in 2021 to deal with the cost of implementing the Climate Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37230/21]

Environmental Policy

Seán Canney

32. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on lifting the restrictions on horticultural peat harvesting for 2021 to avoid a shortage of supply for 2021 which will result in job losses and businesses closures in the regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37227/21]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

41. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has addressed the shortcomings in terms of resources in his Department to deal with ecologist’s reports for tree felling licences in which there is a two year backlog in the application process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37228/21]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

70. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of efforts by his Department to combat ash dieback disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37231/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

76. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to ensure that farmers who make trivial mistakes on online applications, such as failing to tick the ANC box when they wish to get paid for ANC, have an easy and transparent mechanism to have their mistakes rectified; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37229/21]

Departmental Reviews

Seán Canney

561. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress that has been made on the feasibility study on wool; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35809/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

587. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the beef plan movement has been excluded from the beef taskforce forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34355/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

598. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the plight of farmers who are over the age for the young farmer scheme and who are starting or restarting a career in farming following various changes in life circumstances, including marriage breakdown but who cannot access entitlements and are forced to lease entitlements from non-active farmers; if he plans to change the current regulations to allow such farmers to access entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34721/21]

Forestry Sector

Seán Canney

1175. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a decision will be made on an afforestation application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30657/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

302. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will increase the level of grants to farmers for farm sheds due to the recent increases in the cost of materials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29033/21]

Agriculture Schemes

Seán Canney

1118. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider putting in place a top-up payment on grant schemes to reflect the additional costs that disabled farmers incur in meeting the terms of the schemes in view of the fact that 13% of farmers have a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21193/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic

Seán Canney

1123. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will lift the restrictions and allow farmers selling at marts to attend at the mart for the sale given that many farmers do not have access to proper broadband; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21200/21]

Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme

Seán Canney

1132. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider changing the terms and conditions of the TAMS scheme for low emission slurry spreading equipment to allow registered agricultural contractors who do not own a farm to apply for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21345/21]

Wildlife Control

Seán Canney

2486. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on recent reports that up to 15 million bees from Italy may be released in Northern Ireland later in April 2021; if he has been in contact with beekeepers across the country who are very concerned at this proposed release; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19045/21]