Parliamentary questions

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 an…

176. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being implemented in the proposed new TB eradication scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25493/25]

177. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the uptake of the lowemissions slurry spreading scheme, which provides capital grants to farmers for low-emission spreading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25509/25]

178. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the proposals made at the emergency TB stakeholder forum and address the comments surrounding restriction and blacklisting of herds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25734/25]

179. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will commission thorough independent research on the efficacy of the TB eradication programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25735/25]

180. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 11 of 2 April 2025, if the detailed project proposals have now been evaluated; the results of that evaluation; the status of an application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25620/25]

181. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied with the progress enabling farmers to participate in or initiate anaerobic digestion for energy purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25108/25]

182. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the mental health supports available for young farmers. [25605/25]

183. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether State financial support for greyhound racing should be withdrawn. [25585/25]

184. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the agricultural sector in the most recent available full year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25606/25]

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]

713. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date on which all ACRES payments will be issued to those farmers struggling to pay bills at this time (details supplied). [25787/25]

714. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being put in place to lower the levels of animal TB, given the high rates nationwide. [25788/25]

715. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications under the solar capital investment scheme; the number of applications approved; the value of these approvals, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25076/25]

716. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to consider facilitating the construction of a border control post (BCP) at the Port of Cork through which consignments of food, food contact materials, animals, feed and plants that are subject to increased import controls must enter the European Union, as the lack of a BCP facility is severely impacting the Port o…

717. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department would consider granting temporary derogations of three to six months length to customers of the Port of Cork to prevent disruption to seasonal goods imports for consignments needing physical inspection due to the current lack of a Border Control Post facility for agricultural checks at the port, as…

718. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has spoken formally with his UK counterpart to date in 2025. [25351/25]

719. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has considered the potential benefits that the development of detection of infected animals among bovines vaccinated with the TB vaccine could play regarding Ireland's TB eradication programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25361/25]

720. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether a farmer has an option available to him or her to have blood samples taken by a registered veterinary surgeon from bovine animals that they own and are registered to the herd number where they are identified as herd keeper, and have those blood samples tested by an approved laboratory in the state for bTB; if…

721. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has approved any laboratories in or outside the State in which an individual farmer can have blood samples tested that have been provided by them at his or her own expense for the presence of bTB; to confirm how the approval status of these labs are made known to the farming public; and if he will m…

722. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Department has sufficient resources in place to address the significant increase in bovine TB cases since 2015; if the Minister will provide reassurance to farmers who are increasingly concerned on the ground; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25457/25]

723. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the staff resources allocated to the bovine TB programme for each year from 2015 to 2024, under the headings of veterinary inspectors, technical agricultural officers (specifying roles such as wildlife or other), farm relief service operatives involved in the wildlife programme and administrative staff in t…

724. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the cost to the Department of vaccinating each badger under the wildlife programme in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25459/25]

725. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has reviewed or is currently reviewing its bovine TB strategy in light of the rising incidence rates since 2015; and if the Minister will outline any proposed changes or enhancements to the current approach. [25460/25]

726. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the concerns of forest owners who have had trees prematurely felled due to weather or other external circumstances and now face losing their annual forestry premiums as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25461/25]