Parliamentary questions

1751. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the minimum age requirement for the green cert course is set at 23 years of age; if an exception can be made for an applicant under this age, such as in the case of a young farmer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45597/25]

1752. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he agrees that administrative complexity and payment delays have dogged the farm environment scheme (details supplied); if he will make an interim payment from national funds to mitigate payment delays impacting farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45661/25]

1753. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine as bovine tuberculosis increased in Ireland in 2024, with the TB incidence increasing to 6% of herds and TB having a devastating financial and emotional impact at farm level, if he has considered the IFA's comprehensive proposal, setting out a detailed plan to tackle the disease; if he is willing to meet the IFA o…

1754. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to tackle the ongoing issue of illegal sulky racing on public roads, which presents a serious danger to road users and involves widespread mistreatment of horses and ponies; if the Minister is aware of recent documented incidents of such races, including one highlighted by an organisation (d…

1755. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the assessment that has been made of the impact on Irish dairy processors and farmers from substitution of dairy fat with vegetable fats in “ice cream/frozen dessert” categories sold in Ireland; and if he will consider protected descriptions that distinguish dairy-based from vegetable-fat products for consumer clarity…

1756. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the support being provided to Irish importers to comply with the EUDR for palm oil and cocoa by 30 December 2025; and how compliance will be verified at the border and at retail. [45706/25]

1757. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports available to farmers whose trees were felled in the recent storm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45715/25]

1758. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current status of the Mercosur Trade Deal; the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment that the Government will “work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend their interests in opposing the current Mercosur trade deal”; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

1759. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on GAEC-2 and if he will take into account the issues for farmers (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45720/25]

1760. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his attention has been drawn to the recent closure of the sole quota; the measures his department is taking to assist inshore fishers that will be financially impacted by the early closure of sole. [45785/25]

1761. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of the allocation of all fish quotas by boat size, in tabular form. [45786/25]

1762. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether a ban on hare coursing should be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45853/25]

1763. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the restoration plan for 40 hectares of blanket bog from coniferous forestry in Connemara Bog Complex SAC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46045/25]

1764. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for evidence from peatlands specialists and academics who support the continued use of the old definition of the Irish Peat Soil Map over the newly published and publicly funded map; if he will publish evidence of the level of acceptance from said specialists and academics; and if he will make a statement on the…

1765. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specialists and academics he consulted in making the decision to continue using the old definition for the Irish Peat Soil Map rather than implementing the newly published one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46074/25]

1766. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the National Peatlands Strategy commitment to undertake sphagnum moss cultivation trials, and the publication of said trials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46075/25]

1767. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures that will be in place to ensure compliance of vessels of more than 18m in length with the 2,000-tonne sprat quota limit from October 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46076/25]

1768. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the stock assessment data that was used by his Department to inform the incoming 2,000-tonne sprat quota limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46077/25]

1769. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he will ensure that there will be no overfishing of sprat by vessels under 18 metres; the monitoring mechanisms that will be put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46078/25]

1770. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proportion of sprat landed that is currently used as fish meal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46079/25]

1771. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the sprat fishing season begins; the reason October was chosen for the sprat quota introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46080/25]

1772. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will introduce a sprat quota limit for vessels under 18 metres; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46081/25]

1773. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the civil society and interest groups he met in relation to the sprat quota limit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46082/25]

1774. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he considers that sprat fishery will be sustainable under the new rules in light of the fact that, in 2024, 7,500-tonnes of sprat were fished by vessels under 18-metres, while ICES have a recommended sprat quota limit of 2,250-tonnes for all vessels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46083/25]

1775. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the possibility of outlawing the practice of sulky racing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46086/25]