Parliamentary questions

780. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether there is an unfair bias against farmers who planted forestry before 2002 and in effect are unqualified for the basic farm payment scheme (details supplied); his further views on whether the absence of a proposal to compensate farm forestry owner for the carbon credit element on standing forestr…

781. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the next round of Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme payments will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17416/25]

782. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to media reports (details supplied), whether it remains his Department’s position that wool is a “low carbon” product; the scientific basis there is for such a position; the professional scientific expertise his Department uses to assess claims about the environmental impact of different agricultural p…

783. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps that can be taken to prevent residents in a domestic dwelling slaughtering animals in their front garden; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17437/25]

784. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will list the penalties that can be applied to persons who engage in the unlicensed slaughter of animals in domestic dwellings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17438/25]

785. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of the current court case in relation to PGI status for grass fed beef between an organisation (details supplied) and EU Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17458/25]

786. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has any vacant or derelict buildings in Dublin-Rathdown; to provide the addresses of these buildings and details on the length of time they have been derelict, in tabular form; and his plans to bring any vacant or derelict buildings back into use. [17471/25]

787. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has been in communication with the Department for Social Protection as part of the interdepartmental working group tasked with assessing the impact of a new, non-binary, category of gender on existing legislation; when he is planning the next meeting with the representatives from the Department for Socia…

788. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of animals held in pounds at year end for each of the past five years per local authority area; the number of animals euthanised by pounds in each of the past five years per local authority area, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17633/25]

271. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will commission a report to investigate the benefits of using oyster farms to tackle water pollution in Dublin Bay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16506/25]

272. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the current utilisation rate of fish by-products in the state, including progress towards achieving higher utilisation comparable to international best practices. [16345/25]

273. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed and an update on payment provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16377/25]

274. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on a payment (details supplied); a timeline for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16378/25]

1. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on negotiations with the British Government to reinstate access for the Irish fishing fleet to its traditional fishing grounds at Rockall; and the estimated total financial loss to the Irish fishing industry since the blockade has been enforced by the UK authorities. [13670/25]

2. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Government acknowledges the significant increase in production costs for farmers in recent years, which many can no longer sustain; and how he plans to address the challenges posed by increasing energy, labour and environmental-compliance costs to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Irish farming sect…

3. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will re-examine how peatlands and mineral rich soil lands are designated for good agricultural and environmental condition 2, GAEC 2; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13671/25]

4. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will provide direct financial assistance to the horticulturalist sector to compensate for crop damage and income loss post-storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13624/25]

5. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department will address the increases in the cost of production of milk in order that these costs are not passed on to consumers in supermarkets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13672/25]

6. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the plans in place in case of another foot and mouth outbreak, considering recent outbreaks in Europe. [15814/25]

7. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will again be supporting a national organic food fair which took place in Merrion Square in 2024; whether smaller fairs might be supported in other smaller Dublin or urban parks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13804/25]

8. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department increase the minimum grant aid rate within the 2025 scheme of investment aid for the development of the commercial horticulture sector to 60%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13627/25]

9. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has, in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, considered a policy around land use and development due to the increased competition for arable land in areas such as north Kildare, for new technologies such as solar farms. [13821/25]

10. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts being made by his Department to prioritise improvements in farmer mental health and well-being supports, in particular supports for rural mental health programmes, recognising the unique challenges faced by those in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13798/25]

11. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application (details supplied) to the European Innovation Partnership under call 6; when funding announcements will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13801/25]

12. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is it his intention to diversify Ireland’s forest estate away from the monocultural Sitka plantations towards the restoration of native and broadleaf forests, and how he intends to do that; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13809/25]