Questions

150. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific new measures being considered or planned to address the current surge in bovine TB cases (details supplied); the expected timeline for the implementation of these measures; the way in which affected farmers be supported during the roll-out of these new measures; the consultation has taken place with farming organisation…

172. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether the introduction of social conditionality in the 2025 BISS scheme constitutes double jeopardy (details supplied); the steps his Department will take to review this policy and ensure that farmers are not unfairly penalised under multiple headings for a single infringement; and if he will make a statement on the m…

173. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the concrete measures he is taking to make farming a more attractive and sustainable career path for young people (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25744/25]

175. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific measures being taken to support young farmers in accessing low-interest loans and land leasing opportunities, as outlined in the draft programme for Government 2025; if he will commit to implementing dedicated financial instruments tailored to the needs of young farmers, including installation aid and land mobility sche…

712. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the Government's position on the principle that farmers impacted by GAEC 2 environmental requirements should be compensated based on the principle of income forgone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25746/25]

2. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Government acknowledges the significant increase in production costs for farmers in recent years, which many can no longer sustain; and how he plans to address the challenges posed by increasing energy, labour and environmental-compliance costs to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Irish farming sector. [14131/25]

24. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given that women have always been integral to the family farm but that their crucial role has often not been fully recognised or acknowledged, if he will implement the recommendations of the report “Highlighting Pathways to Empower Rural Women to Have Sustainable and Equitable Livelihoods in Farming"; and if he will make a statement …

43. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the ongoing funding deficiencies in State marine infrastructure, particularly in counties like Donegal, which has 155 piers and harbours to maintain (details supplied); to outline plans to increase investment in marine infrastructure to support both local economies and tourism development; and if he will make a sta…

45. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the significant disparity between the forward malting barley price offered by a company (details supplied) of €240/t and the €300/t sought by growers, and considering the fears raised by an organisation (details supplied) regarding transparency in the pricing mechanism, if he will direct the Office of the Agri-Food Regulator to…

54. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to address concerns around declining numbers of young people entering farming, particularly in light of financial uncertainty and environmental pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13823/25]

57. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the ongoing delay in updating the TAMS reference costs, which has been flagged by an organisation (details supplied) as creating uncertainty and delaying investment in essential farm infrastructure, to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this review; the measures his Department will take to ensure that grant aid…

610. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of licensed horse trainers in Ireland in each year since 1 January 2020; the number of Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board inspectors; the number of unannounced inspections; whether each trainer has had unannounced inspections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15380/25]

611. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the controls his Department and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board have in relation to the operation of unlicensed trainers; whether further legislation is planned on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15381/25]

612. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any public body or publicly funded body under his Department’s aegis procured from outside the EU any professional services in excess of €25,000 in relation to accountancy, pensions, architecture or legal, in each year from 1 January 2020 to end 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15383/25]

613. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board took in 2022, 2023 and 2024 to advise the public or those working in the sector of complaint procedures around poor stable facilities or the ill treatment of horses under their authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15384/25]

614. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress of the efforts by Bord Iascaigh Mhara to retrieve ghost gear (abandoned nets, and so on); the amount of material retrieved in each year since 1 January 2020; how successful these efforts have been; the cost of same; whether a new central scheme for all waterways is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter…

615. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are plans to produce guidelines around coastal magnet fishing; if his Department will support the removal of metal waste from the Irish foreshore while protecting the State’s interests; if his Department will discuss the matter with other responsible Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15386/25]

616. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any public bodies or publicly funded bodies under his Department's aegis are not compliant with Part V of the Disability Act 2005; if Part V applies to all subsidiaries of such bodies; whether, in cases where it does not, he has the power to extend such a requirement, either through Ministerial order or through funding requiremen…

124. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given that women have always been integral to the family farm but that their crucial role has often not been fully recognised or acknowledged, if he will implement the recommendations of the report “Highlighting Pathways to Empower Rural Women to Have Sustainable and Equitable Livelihoods in Farming"; and if he will make a statement…

143. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the ongoing funding deficiencies in State marine infrastructure, particularly in counties like Donegal, which has 155 piers and harbours to maintain (details supplied); to outline plans to increase investment in marine infrastructure to support both local economies and tourism development; and if he will make a st…

145. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the significant disparity between the forward malting barley price offered by a company (details supplied) of €240/t and the €300/t sought by growers, and considering the fears raised by an organisation (details supplied) regarding transparency in the pricing mechanism, if he will direct the Office of the Agri-Food Regulator t…

154. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to address concerns around declining numbers of young people entering farming, particularly in light of financial uncertainty and environmental pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13823/25]

158. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the ongoing delay in updating the TAMS reference costs, which has been flagged by an organisation (details supplied) as creating uncertainty and delaying investment in essential farm infrastructure, to provide a definitive timeline for the completion of this review; the measures his Department will take to ensure that grant ai…

1248. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has viewed the Charities Regulators Report 2024 into a charity (details supplied); if further payments will be made to the charity in advance of the publication of the report; if the €200,000 advanced to the charity in August 2024 was sanctioned without any knowledge of the details of the report; and if he will ma…

1249. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the purpose of the advanced grant of €200,000 to a charity (details supplied) in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10859/25]