Who paid for the UK polling?

I thank the Senator for raising this critical issue not only for our county of Kildare but for the rural economy, of which the horse racing and breeding industry is such an integral part. It is a key contributor to the rural economy across Ireland. We know that is the case from the 2017 Deloitte report on the Economic Impact of Irish Breeding and Racing, commissioned by the HRI. That report estimated the value of the Irish racing and breeding industry to the Irish economy in 2016 at more than €1.8 billion. The indu…

The Brexit adjustment reserve is where the ITBA has directed its ask and that is where the potential lies. You have to have that demonstrable impact from Brexit and there is no doubt in my mind that this industry has been impacted by that. The Senator spoke about successful schemes and so on. I pointed to the horse and greyhound racing fund earlier as a good indication of the Government's support. The equine support measures coming in under the targeted agriculture modernisation schemes, TAMS, is also something I h…

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, I thank Senator Boylan for raising what is a very important issue. I am delighted to have the opportunity to outline the work across government in this area, the commitments we have made in the programme for Government and how we are acting on them and what the different Departments are doing. The Senator has directed this question towards me and my Department today from an agricultural perspective, and I take that on board. As the Senator rightly outlined, there are a…

I will bring the points raised by the Senator directly back to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. The Commencement matter tabled by the Senator referred to capacity in the shelters and contingency plans. The broad approach the Government takes feeds into that. The programme for Government includes a commitment to promote responsible pet ownership. The Senator's point in respect of welfare is currently being advanced by the Department on various aspects relating to ownership. The Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-25: Work…

I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this critically important issue. As Minister of State with special responsibility for farm safety, I have always considered farmers' mental health and well-being to be inextricably linked to farm safety. We know that a farmer is seven times more likely to lose his or her life in a workplace incident on his or her farm than in any other profession in the country, making it by far the most dangerous workplace in the country. In that context, the results of the recent University Coll…

I completely concur. All those challenges are there, from concerns about the price of inputs, the weather, inspections, prices for their products, overall economic sustainability to all the pressures resulting from a narrative out there that farmers are to blame for many of the challenges. The real risk here for farmers is isolation. They spend all their time on their own and may live in isolation in the evenings. When their work is done, they bring those pressures back home with them. We all know a problem shared …

We are working with the HSE and working closely with Department of Health and other State agencies such as the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, where we have a number of initiatives and literature on that area as well. We are also funding further research. The Dublin City University, DCU, farm health study has a very important role to expand our information and knowledge in this area. In the locally led initiatives, I have supported funding of €1.8 million to eight projects around the country, four of which are di…

Ingenuity and innovation flow throughout our agricultural sector. As our most important indigenous industry, farming and food production employ more than 160,000 people. It generates €14 billion in exports, which brings money into rural communities throughout the country. It is a sector on which the Government places a significant value, and one we want to grow and continue to provide for farmers, fishers, foresters and their families, and for all those employed further downstream. Budget 2023 is designed to put mo…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001 is a commercial State body responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry. The horse and greyhound racing industries receive financial support from the State through the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund under section 12 of the Act. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine makes payments from the fund to HRI and to Rásaí…

Smaller racecourses have gained from being aligned with the larger racecourses and this has enhanced their value. Media rights agreements are subject to approval by HRI and the 26 racecourses involved. While I take on board the points the Deputy has raised and am happy to discuss it today, racecourses also contribute an element of their sponsorship income to prize money with bigger tracks providing a more significant percentage - at least double - with the majority of funding coming from HRI and then owners. During…

I take on board the Deputy's points and I am happy to go through this in more detail in time. As I outlined in my response, 23 of the 26 tracks have benefited from capital grants for infrastructure work.

It was 40% of the capital infrastructure. There is no doubt that smaller tracks are benefiting from being part of a larger scheme. Where is the great value in terms of media rights when media organisations are looking to buy? The larger race days will attract the highest value. It makes sense that the smaller tracks, which have days that are very important to their local communities but might not be as attractive for media coverage, also benefit from being part of that. As I mentioned previously, all 26 racecourses…

I thank Deputy Griffin for raising a really important point. I completely agree that the humanitarian crisis will always take priority in terms of our view of this matter. As the Deputy outlined, there are also significant implications, which we are seeing across all sectors, including the agrifood sector, from Russia's illegal and awful war in Ukraine. We need to take the necessary steps to ensure food security is maintained for EU citizens, the Ukrainian people and in the wider global context. Following a strong …

It is important that the point raised by Deputy Griffin and its impact are discussed in the House. I should point out that there are sufficient supplies of animal feed at present and importers are actively competing on the global market to ensure that supply continues uninterrupted. Animal feed stocks and imports are being monitored on a regular basis by my Department. What Deputy Griffin outlines is a stress and strain on farmers due to the very high input costs. Even though across a number of sectors there are ve…

Regarding green diesel, the interventions the Government has made to date have seen all excise duty removed from green diesel, in line with changes to ordinary petrol and diesel excise where there have been record removals in those areas as well. The targeted measures I mentioned will help Irish farmers at a time of escalating costs and build resilience against the expected impact of the situation in Ukraine. We continue to engage with stakeholders and continue to work across government, and with our European partn…

We long for the days when Brexit was the biggest challenge we faced. It was, and continues to be, a big challenge. We have to be aware of the medium-term challenges from the fallout from Brexit, particularly in the agrifood sector. The Deputy will be aware that the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, TCA, maintained tariff-free access for all goods traded between the UK and the EU. This was a positive outcome of the negotiations, particularly in respect of trade in agricultural goods, as the imposition of tariff…

I agree with Deputy Griffin that the UK will remain an important market for Irish food and drink. Since the result of the Brexit referendum, however, we have stepped up the efforts of diversification, and in my role with responsibility for new market development in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I have worked very closely with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and we have opened and improved access to markets around the world. We have looked also to grow our European markets to reduce the risk …

Deputy Griffin can take it as a given that we will continue to work across Government to hold the British Government to the international obligations it has signed up to. I am a firm believer in controlling the things we can control, and in respect of my role in the Department, that is clearly to look at tangible efforts to ensure we have a broader diversification of the markets we export into. There was no better example of that recently than when the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, an…

As the Deputy will be aware, the European Union and New Zealand reached a political agreement in principle on a new free trade agreement on 30 June 2022. I take this opportunity to inform the House that since the launch of these negotiations in June 2018, Ireland consistently pressed the European Commission to ensure the outcome of these negotiations would be balanced and would take into consideration our concerns in respect of our sensitive agriculture products such as beef, dairy and sheep meat. Ultimately, we mu…