Parliamentary questions

149. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that will be introduced in 2025 to support the tillage farming sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55018/25]

724. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the assessment that has been made of the environmental impact of razor shell dredging off Portmarnock beach, including the displacement of marine life and the effect on beach conditions and public amenity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54965/25]

725. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the breakdown of the cost of non-productive investments in ACRES applied for, approved, claims submitted and payment made to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54608/25]

726. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of official controls carried by his Department in 2024 at milk testing laboratories for the purpose of validating accuracy of testing for somatic cell count, total bacterial count, fat and protein content and the results of these control checks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54611/25]

727. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he envisions the possible return of a sugar beet industry for feed purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54731/25]

728. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations in the Report of the Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming. [54732/25]

729. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the mediation measures in place to support retirement plans to allow younger farmers to take over the running of farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54733/25]

730. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider the importance of the east coast mussel seed fishery by reopening it as a matter of priority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54743/25]

731. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he has taken further to the imposition of disease control measures following a suspected case of avian influenza in the North of Ireland; the compensation available to farmers should a cull be mandated in the South; the timeframe in which impacted farmers could be expected to be paid any such compensation u…

732. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a farmer with a TB restricted herd can sell cattle directly to a controlled finishing unit with no conditions attached, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the 30-day TB test window (details supplied); if marts will be allowed to operate under the same conditions as a farmer selling dire…

733. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to ensure that hill farmers are supported in their management of the uplands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54914/25]

734. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of participants in ACRES and ACRES-CP who are still awaiting payments for 2024; when these payments will issue, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54882/25]

735. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he is taking to regulate sulky racing. [54898/25]

736. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are any plans to devise a financial hardship scheme that can assist mussel fishermen who have been without an income since 2022, as no seed mussel settlements have been found large enough to fish in 2023, 2024 and in 2025 to date. [54954/25]

737. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether any area off Portmarnock beach is officially licensed for razor shell fishing; the enforcement measures in place to address reports of unlicensed vessels operating in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54963/25]

738. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of unlicensed vessels partaking in unauthorised razor shell fishing off Portmarnock beach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54964/25]

739. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department monitors the outcomes of mini-competitions under framework agreements to ensure that no individual supplier is consistently awarded contracts to the exclusion of others, and if any analysis is conducted on whether frameworks are delivering the intended level of competition. [55007/25]

740. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will detail the way in which sustainability criteria included in framework tender documentation are evaluated in practice during mini-competitions; and the assurance that exists that such criteria are applied consistently and transparently across competitions. [55008/25]

741. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are any technical, legal, operational, or policy constraints preventing his Department, when publishing quarterly reports of payments or purchase orders over €20,000, from including additional columns that link each payment to its underlying procurement process specifically tender/contract title; name and add…

742. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of delays in issuing passports for horses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55095/25]

743. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which his Department is supporting dairy and beef farmers to manage increased volatility in global markets, while also preparing for future carbon reduction obligations; and if further income-stabilisation measures or risk-management tools are planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55098/2…

744. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions being taken to support farmers in meeting nitrates, water quality, and emissions obligations; and if he will confirm that sufficient funding and flexibility will be available to ensure compliance does not undermine farm viability, particularly for family-run enterprises; and if he will make a statement on …

745. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the financial support which will be made available to farmers for nature restoration in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55102/25]

746. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which the increase in TB expenditure announced in Budget 2026 will be spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55108/25]

747. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a list of all studies, research and reports commissioned by his Department that were outsourced, in each of the past five years, in tabular form; the names of the companies to which each study, research and report was outsourced; the total cost for each; the number of reports finalised and presented to him…