Questions

304. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of hectares of agricultural land currently classified as set-aside or otherwise unused; whether an assessment has been undertaken of the potential to utilise such lands for the cultivation of alternative sustainable crops, including hemp; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27541/26]

305. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has examined historical and current practices of crop diversification, including the cultivation of hemp in Ireland; whether engagement has taken place with farms or enterprises currently producing hemp for industrial or construction purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27542/26]

306. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports, advisory services or pricing models are currently available to farmers who may wish to diversify. [27543/26]

2300. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware that the cost of agri-diesel has increased by approximately 50% in recent weeks, representing the most significant percentage increase across fuel categories; the extent to which the Government has assessed the impact of these increases on farm viability and contractor operations; and if he will make a statement on the ma…

127. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a compensation scheme for farmers who suffer verified financial losses as a result of dog attacks on livestock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19043/26]

1434. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the 2024 and 2025 expenditure for forestry and bioenergy-related programmes under Vote 30; whether any underspends occurred in these areas compared with original allocations; to provide the value and reasons for any such underspends; the steps being taken to ensure the full drawdown and delivery of funding in future years; an…

1435. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 78 of 29 January 2026, to provide a cost for payment of TB compensation rates that fully reflect current market valuations to the farmers whose animal valuations (approximately 9% of TB reactors) are above the current compensation levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19023/26]

1436. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the 2024 and 2025 expenditure for agri-environmental schemes under Vote 30; to detail whether any underspends occurred in these areas compared with the original allocations; to outline the specific schemes involved; the reasons for the underspend; the number of participants affected; and if he will make a statement on the mat…

1437. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the 2024 and 2025 expenditure for targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, under Vote 30; to detail whether any underspends occurred; the number of eligible applicants who did not draw down funding in that period; the measures being taken to ensure the full utilisation of allocated TAMS funding in future years; and i…

828. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with Coillte to ensure that its existing forest road network is used optimally by all forest owners, with a view to avoiding duplication, reducing resource wastage, and supporting best-practice forest management and timber mobilisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14814/26]

78. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he accepts that the current compensation limits for cattle removed from TB-restricted herds fall significantly below prevailing market prices, thereby imposing substantial financial losses on affected farmers; the specific timeframe within which he plans to introduce revised compensation rates that accurately reflect current market val…

813. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason only 25% of solar PV applications under TAMS 3 were approved in tranche 9, with the same rate proposed for tranche 10, despite strong farmer demand; the way this aligns with climate targets and commitments to support on-farm renewable energy; the way the current scoring system, including the use of derogation as a criterion, i…

814. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the €30 million tillage support package announced for tillage farmers in Budget 2026 will be paid; whether payments will issue before planting commences in the coming weeks; the crops which will be eligible for payment under this support; if he acknowledges the urgency of delivering this funding given the severe cashflow difficultie…

815. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has evaluated the OIE-approved, Irish-developed enferplex bovine TB antibody test for use in the national TB eradication programme; the reason it is not currently being deployed alongside SICCT and interferon-gamma tests to improve detection of mycobacterium bovis in suspect or hard-to-detect cases; whether trials,…

816. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the assessment which has been made of the employment supported by the inshore fishing sector, including onshore jobs in coastal communities; the way in which the Government plans to safeguard this employment in the context of climate change and economic pressures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6614/26]

817. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way the Government plans to respond to the proposed 20–24% reduction in Ireland’s CAP Post-2027 allocation; the engagement which is taking place at EU level to protect Ireland’s CAP budget; the reason the proposals do not include ring-fenced funding for young farmers; when the National Strategy for Generational Renewal required under…

818. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the immediate actions his Department is taking to strengthen Ireland’s biosecurity and import-control regime in view of evidence of serious grass-weed contamination including blackgrass, brome and wild oats in imported straw and in cover-crop seed placed on the market; the action being taken to prevent further introduction of herbicide-r…

819. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Ireland’s position on the European Commission’s proposals to restructure the Common Agricultural Policy post-2027 into a single National and Regional Partnerships fund; if Ireland will oppose any dilution of ring-fenced supports for young farmers, including the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers; and if he will make a stateme…

820. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the 2025 budget for the forgotten farmer scheme has been reduced from €5 million to €2.25 million in the supplementary estimates; whether the unspent money will be reallocated to the suckler or sheep welfare schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6618/26]

821. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the review of the agri-climate rural environment scheme; when this review is expected to be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6619/26]

822. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s plans to support and reward farmers who generate renewable energy for their own use or sell surplus energy to the grid, in line with the Programme for Government commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6620/26]

250. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason public consultation for the Irish whiskey technical file has not yet opened; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66328/25]

251. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the Irish whiskey technical file does not currently require the use of Irish grain in the production of Irish whiskey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66329/25]

252. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will guarantee that the Irish whiskey technical file will be amended to ensure that only Irish grain is used in the production of Irish whiskey, in line with the stance of US and English whiskey producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66330/25]

253. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline for the payment of supports to farmers in the tillage sector; the measures that will be put in place to ensure that these payments are distributed fairly and equitably across all eligible tillage farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66331/25]