I propose to take Questions Nos. 311 and 312 together. The large-scale rollout of badger vaccination commenced in late 2019. Every year more and more of the countryside is designated as vaccination zones. This is reflected in the numbers of badgers captured for vaccination in these zones rising from an initial figure of 1,937 badgers in 2019, to 4,698 badgers in 2020. This figure rose again in 2021 to 6,586 badgers, with a further 7,244 badgers captured for vaccination in 2022. Table 1: The number of badgers captur…

In 2018 as part of the Government’s enhanced commitment to eradicate bovine TB by 2030, a bTB Stakeholder Forum was established tasked with proposing policies to help achieve eradication within this timeframe. Following detailed discussions informed by available scientific evidence and stakeholder perspectives, the Forum reached agreement on recommending a selection of policy options which should have a significant impact on the reduction of bTB in the years ahead. As a result, in January 2021, I launched a new Bov…

Approval and use of rodenticides in Ireland are regulated under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR - Regulation (EU) No 528/2012). The regulatory process is based on EU-harmonised guidance and decision-making criteria and involves Member State competent authorities and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Products must be authorised for specific uses in a Member State before they can be made available for sale and use, with strict mitigation measures specified where required to protect human health and to mi…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 317 and 318 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the information requested is set out in the attached table. As regards the 12 State Bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information requested is an operational matter for the State Bodies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and have requested that a response should issue within 10 days.

I thank all the Deputies for the discussion on the amendments. As they will know, this legislation has had several months of work in terms of its preparation and very significant engagement, first in respect of my Department, working with the team and engaging with the stakeholders, a comprehensive consultation process with all farming organisations and all stakeholders that had an interest in the legislation, and then really good, solid, sterling work carried out by the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the…

However, I do believe that what is being mentioned in these amendments is already covered in the legislation. The legislation covers meat processors and the sale of livestock, and it covers much more broadly than that as well. These amendments are not necessary because the provisions are already contained in the legislation. There were several months of hard work, consultation and cross-party engagement at the agriculture committee. I really must recognise the work of the agriculture committee in putting that repor…

This is an historic opportunity, one that we in government are grasping and driving forward. That is why months of effort have gone into this. It is why we have consulted farm organisations across the country. Deputy Carthy, who is present, is one of the members of the agriculture committee who put significant work into the report and the 20 recommendations, 18 of which I have accepted or substantially accepted. That is why the Bill is robust and strong and provides the powers for further regulations as necessary t…

I thank Deputies McGrath, McNamara and Danny Healy-Rae. Deputy McGrath spoke for seven minutes but he did not refer to the amendment we are discussing here at all in his contribution in any significant way.

A number of points have been made. I will come back to Deputy McNamara, who referred to the grocery goods regulations, which were repealed in January 2021. There was a lot of engagement between my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment at the time. They were repealed because we at that stage adopted the unfair trading practices, UTP, regulations and set up an office within my Department pending the establishment of this statutory office. They very significantly overlapped with the UTP reg…

I thank the Deputy but his most recent contribution was not related to the amendment either.

It was not related to it at all.

As for Deputy Healy-Rae, his points, while valid in respect of agriculture, were not related to the legislation either. He spoke to-----

What we are setting up here is a food regulator. It is about the goods farmers produce coming off the farm, whether that is meat or milk-----

----and working with and putting transparency into the food supply chain to ensure there can be fair play, fair income and proper transparency throughout the food supply chain for farmers, putting a strong statutory office and regulator in place, with a team to be able to do that. As the House will be aware, there is a challenge with regard to fertiliser, which was a very difficult issue last year because of the Ukrainian challenge. I responded as Minister by allocating a grants scheme of €1,000 for farmers to help…

First, I offer my best wishes and congratulations to Deputy Kerrane on her appointment as Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture and food. I wish her well and look forward to working with her. If she requires any information my Department can provide, she should feel free to ask. I wish her well. I know she will enjoy the role and is well-suited to it. It was also good to work with Deputy Carthy and I wish him well in his new role. A vibrant sheep sector is an important aspect of our farming economy. It is important…

As the Deputy will be aware, the Brexit adjustment reserve is an important source but it is difficult to qualify for it. We have to show a direct correlation between what is being funded and the impacts of Brexit. I have not received any proposal which would stack up in that regard. As with all sectors of agriculture, I have asked my Department and officials to consider how we could potentially draw down Brexit funding. It does not appear to be possible in this instance. Since six or seven weeks ago, we have thankf…

In terms of the Brexit adjustment reserve, other funding and annual negotiations around budget, I want to draw down and pull in every bit of funding I possibly can across all segments, and not just the sheep sector, to support and enhance farm family income. Every opportunity has been assessed for the sheep and other sectors and we continue to do that. We fully assess any new ideas that may work but it is difficult to stack it up. If Deputy Kerrane has a proposal, I am open to it. I have also said to the farm organ…

I strongly support the inshore sector. It is important and needs support, which is why I announced yesterday a new scheme that will deliver between €2,700 and €4,000 to all inshore boats this year to help to underpin income and to reflect how the Government values the sector and wants to support it in terms of income and some of the challenges it is experiencing. Regarding the Deputy's question around quotas, fishing quotas are a public resource in this country and are managed to ensure property rights are not gran…

I am doing that and will do that. I will always redouble efforts in that regard because fish and the volume of fish are the most important resources for the sustainability of our fishing sector and the families who depend on it. At European level, I always fight and take every possible opportunity to try to increase and improve our position regarding quotas. Most recently for blue whiting, a pelagic species, we got a good outcome along with an improved outcome concerning the allocation of blue whiting nationally an…

There has not been a change of approach from me. I have been consistent from the start in relation to working closely with all fishery representatives to try to get the best outcome possible at European level. No doubt, the last effort was a strong one and everyone worked closely together but we also did that previously. For blue whiting, for example, before I became Minister, the normal transfer rate and the previous year's transfer rate to Norway was 9% of the EU blue whiting quota. Three years ago, in my first n…