Parliamentary questions

473. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of non-coursing greyhounds recorded as export international on the Rásaíocht Con Éireann traceability system for the years 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, by year of birth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3993/25]

474. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether an IT issue is interfering with ACRES payments; when this will be resolved; when outstanding payments will be made to farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4015/25]

475. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if Government policy will consider the felling of trees in close proximity to power lines to avoid future widescale power outages due to trees falling during red-alert storms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4075/25]

476. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to publish the ministerial brief he received on commencing his role; and when and by what means it will be published. [4085/25]

477. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funding and other supports will be provided to those in the horticulture sector who were impacted and suffered losses as a result of Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4104/25]

478. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he can provide an update on the scheduled ACRES repayments for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4225/25]

479. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the scheduled ACRES repayments for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4226/25]

480. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an up-to-date figure on the current number of ACRES participants awaiting their outstanding payments in County Longford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4227/25]

481. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in respect of each Bill for which his Department had responsibility and that was initiated in 2024, or that was enacted in 2024, to specify in which House of the Oireachtas the Bill was initiated; the number of ministerial or Government amendments submitted at each legislative Stage of the Bill; if the guillotin…

482. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the salary scale that applies to the Secretary General of his Department; whether this scale has changed in the past year; whether there are proposals to change this scale in the coming period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4311/25]

483. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how many ACRES (tranche 2) payments are outstanding as a result of a technical or IT issues, with score cards being imported to the payroll system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4370/25]

484. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the changes he plans to bring forward in the next year in relation to forestry felling licences. [4398/25]

485. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a schedule of expenditure relating to IT external service provision in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, including the company name and amount expended with them, in tabular form. [4466/25]

486. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific actions his Department is taking to reduce the bureaucratic burden on Irish farmers, particularly small and family-run farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4588/25]

487. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the increasing regulatory pressures on Irish farmers, the efforts he is making to ensure that new European Union environmental policies do not disproportionately impact Ireland’s agricultural sector compared to other European Union Member States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4589/25]

488. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a detailed breakdown of how carbon reduction targets are being assigned within the agricultural sector; whether these targets are being set in a fair and balanced manner compared to other industries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4590/25]

489. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he intends to ensure that Irish farmers are adequately compensated for their role in carbon sequestration, particularly in maintaining hedgerows and grasslands that contribute positively to climate goals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4591/25]

490. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the emphasis on reducing livestock numbers as a climate strategy, if he will confirm if a full socio-economic impact assessment has been conducted on the consequences of such measures for rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4592/25]

491. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to guarantee that farmers receive a fair price for their produce, particularly in light of supermarket price pressures and rising input costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4593/25]

492. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he supports the introduction of legislation to ensure that farmers are paid above the cost of production for their goods, similar to models used in other European Union countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4594/25]

493. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in light of global food security concerns, if he will explain how Ireland is balancing climate policies with maintaining national food production capacity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4595/25]

494. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide assurances that Irish agriculture policy is prioritising food security and self-sufficiency, particularly in light of potential supply chain disruptions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4596/25]

495. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he is implementing to ensure the viability of family farms and encourage younger generations to remain in farming, given the rising costs and regulatory challenges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4597/25]

496. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific financial incentives or policy supports that are in place to help young farmers access land, given that land prices remain a major barrier to entry for the next generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4598/25]

497. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the guarantees he will provide that imported food products meet the same environmental, welfare, and safety standards required of Irish farmers, ensuring a level playing field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4599/25]