Parliamentary questions

663. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether an organisation (details supplied) has provided the Department with detailed high performance accounts for each of the past five years; whether these accounts are reviewed by the Department, Sport Ireland or any other State body; and whether the Minister will require the organisation to publish detailed high …

664. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that an organisation (details supplied) has introduced a high performance levy of €45 per FEI entry; whether he has assessed the financial impact this will have on Irish riders, young riders, professional riders, owners and breeders; and if he considers it appropriate that …

665. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he accepts that additional levies imposed by an organisation (details supplied) may create barriers to entry for young riders and professional riders without significant family wealth; whether any equality, access or affordability assessment was carried out before the high performance levy was introduced; and…

666. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he has considered the potential impact of an organisation (details supplied) may high performance levy on Ireland’s competitiveness internationally; whether the levy may make Irish riders more expensive for owners compared with riders competing under other national federations; and whether this could result i…

667. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of any proposals to introduce updated urban horse control legislation; the timeline for the publication of such legislation; and the measures being considered to address ongoing concerns regarding horse welfare, public safety, anti-social behaviour and enforcement challenges in urban areas, particularl…

668. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of pigs slaughtered in Ireland between 2022 and to date in 2026; the methods of slaughter used; the number that were slaughtered by high-concentration carbon dioxide gas stunning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49512/26]

669. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has examined alternatives to the use of high-concentration carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs in slaughterhouses, including electrical stunning, inert gas systems using argon or nitrogen, low atmospheric pressure stunning, or other emerging technologies; whether any assessment has been conducte…

670. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of aquaculture licenses that were processed in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49547/26]

671. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of aquaculture licenses waiting to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49549/26]

672. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to address the large backlog in the processing of aquaculture licenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49550/26]

673. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline that is acceptable for the processing of aquaculture licenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49551/26]

674. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason it is taking up to 20 years and longer to process aquaculture licenses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49552/26]

675. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on his Department’s priorities for Ireland’s EU Council Presidency. [49572/26]

676. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide figures for the cost overruns by his Department, relative to the budgeted amount in budget 2026 for his Department; the cost overruns relative to the budgeted amount in budget 2026 for each State agency under the aegis of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49651/26]

677. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 569 of 23 June 2026, 194 of 10 June 2026, and 571 of 23 June 2026, to clarify if grant funding is awarded solely on the submission of a DNA verification sample and receipt, or if funding is dependent upon successful DNA parentage verification and registration of the foal with …

678. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 569 of 23 June 2026, 194 of 10 June 2026, and 571 of 23 June 2026, to clarify, where a DNA sample fails to produce a result and a second sample is required, if grant funding is available for the repeat test; if funding is limited to the initial application only; and if he will…

679. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 569 of 23 June 2026, 194 of 10 June 2026, and 571 of 23 June 2026, to provide the date that a society (details supplied) submitted its first-time foal DNA verification grant claim in 2025; the number of foals that were included in that claim and subsequently received grant fun…

680. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 569 of 23 June 2026, 194 of 10 June 2026, and 571 of 23 June 2026, the number of first-time foal DNA verification applications that received funding after 15 October 2025 under the equine technical support and equine breeding scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

681. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 569 of 23 June 2026, 194 of 10 June 2026, and 571 of 23 June 2026 to indicate the basis for his Department’s requirement for annual evidence of a society (details supplied) in order to access grant funding or scheme payments associated with the ownership of Connemara Ponies su…

682. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has conducted an assessment of the dispensing of animal antiparasitic products following the introduction of the NVPS mandatory veterinary prescriptions for animal antiparasitic products; if it is having a noticeable impact on the pharmacy sector incomes and operation; if any pharmacy has ceased dispensing …

683. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has conducted an assessment of the dispensing of animal antiparasitic products following the introduction of the NVPS mandatory veterinary prescriptions for animal antiparasitic products; if it is having a noticeable impact on the veterinary sector incomes and operation; if any have ceased dispensing animal…

684. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has conducted an assessment of the dispensing of animal antiparasitic products following the introduction of the NVPS mandatory veterinary prescriptions for animal antiparasitic products; if it is having a noticeable impact on the merchants sector incomes and operation; if any have ceased dispensing animal …

685. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of pharmacies, vets and merchants participating in the national veterinary prescription system; the number of prescriptions processed each month by pharmacies, vets and merchants since the beginning of 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49746/26]

686. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has had any engagement with the Minister for Health regarding the operation of the national veterinary prescription system pharmacies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49747/26]

687. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the report into an investigation concerning a farm (details supplied), for which a chairperson was appointed in January 2025, is expected to be finalised; the current status of that investigation; the projected timeline for publication of the findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49761/26]