Questions

807. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has examined the use of Irish-registered companies as vehicles to acquire Irish-registered fishing vessels and licences on behalf of non-EU or non-EEA nationals; if any risk assessment or review has been carried out on whether this practice complies with EU and national rules on ownership and control of fishing licenc…

808. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which the statutory requirement that at least 50% of crew on certain licensed fishing vessels must be EU/EEA nationals is monitored and enforced; the number of inspections carried out on crew composition in each of the past five years; the number of breaches identified; the number of sanctions imposed; and if he will make a …

809. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of allegations that some vessels operating in the razor clam fishery are deploying vessel monitoring system (VMS) or GPS units on buoys or static locations while the vessel fishes in different areas, including potentially closed or restricted areas; whether the SFPA has investigated such practices; how many instances hav…

810. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the checks that are in place to ensure that no product is certified for export where it has been harvested from closed or restricted areas; whether any retrospective audits have identified certification of product taken from such areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6606/26]

811. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied that the SFPA has sufficient staff, sea-going capacity, and legal clarity to enforce fisheries rules effectively in inshore fisheries such as the razor clam fishery; whether any instruction or policy direction has been issued to the SFPA regarding prioritisation of “larger cases” over local inshore compliance; and if…

812. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in light of reports from local fishermen of declining razor clam size and abundance between Dublin Bay and Carlingford Lough, if he will publish the most recent Marine Institute survey results for this fishery; the details of any advice to reduce total allowable removals; the emergency or precautionary measures he is considering to pre…

169. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the sheep welfare scheme payments were lower than anticipated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66740/25]

174. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on his work in relation to social farming. [66739/25]

699. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a full review of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 and the 2018 guidelines will be completed; the scope of that review; and the steps being taken to strengthen enforcement and improve welfare standards for breeding dogs. [65386/25]

700. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current resourcing allocated to local authorities for inspections of dog breeding establishments; whether he is satisfied that staffing levels are adequate; and if he will consider increasing funding to ensure consistent compliance and enforcement across all counties. [65387/25]

701. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a central, publicly accessible database recording all individuals or entities breeding or selling puppies; the expected timeline for this measure; and the way in which it will be enforced. [65388/25]

702. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions being taken to improve public awareness of the way to identify licensed breeders; the way in which to report suspected illegal breeding activity; and whether his Department plans a national information campaign. [65389/25]

703. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections carried out on dog breeding establishments in each of the past five years; the number of enforcement actions taken; and his assessment of whether current penalties are sufficient to deter non-compliance. [65390/25]

704. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has engaged with the Department of Housing; Local Government and Heritage, and local authorities to improve consistency in dog control enforcement; and if he will report on planned legislative updates in this area. [65391/25]

705. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details on supports available to rescue organisations caring for dogs seized from illegal breeding operations, including veterinary and behavioural rehabilitation costs. [65392/25]

706. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will publish an updated national animal welfare strategy, including specific commitments on dog breeding, enforcement, inspection standards and public education. [65393/25]

869. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for reducing the payment rate under the national sheep welfare scheme to €11.50 per ewe, despite the prior indication to farmers of a higher expected level of support; and the way in which his Department plans to address the financial shortfall now faced by sheep farmers as a result of this change. [63486/25]

870. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an assessment was carried out on the impact of the reduced per-ewe payment on the viability of sheep farms, particularly hill and low-income farms, before the decision was taken to adjust the rate downward. [63487/25]

871. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm whether there will be a review of the 2025 and 2026 scheme allocations to restore the payment level originally understood by farmers; and to ensure that farmers are not penalised for participating in good faith in a scheme whose terms were subsequently diminished. [63488/25]

872. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being considered to rebuild trust with farmers following the reduction in scheme payments, given the ongoing pressures of poor market returns, high input costs, and tight margins in the sheep sector. [63489/25]

873. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department will reopen discussions with stakeholders regarding future scheme design to ensure payment stability, transparency, and fairness for sheep farmers who relied on the original scheme commitments when planning their farm income. [63490/25]

398. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the work done under each of the 12 actions under the Action Plan arising from the National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture. [62418/25]

313. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funding under the €40 million capital grant scheme for biomethane will be expanded to support small- and medium-scale community-led projects. [60665/25]

317. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline and commencement dates for the advance payments for the areas of natural constraint scheme. [60637/25]

318. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline and commencement dates for the areas of specific constraint scheme. [60638/25]