Parliamentary questions

2236. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken to address increasing corporate, institutional and foreign control of Irish farmland as highlighted in the land availability discussion at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food on 4 March 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25103/26]

2237. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current average price of agricultural land in County Offaly; the way in which it compares to the national average; the extent to which consolidation and long-term leasing is reducing availability for active family farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25104/26]

2238. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the additional supports available or planned for young farmers in Offaly seeking to purchase or lease land in light of the availability challenges and farm consolidation trends raised at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food on 4 March 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25105/26]

2239. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his position on the issue of productive agricultural land being tied up in long-term leases to entities outside the active farming sector, as discussed at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food on 4 March 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25106/26]

2240. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent of coordination between his Department, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on land-use planning to prioritise food security and family farm viability over other competing uses; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

2241. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on any proposed legislative or policy changes to improve land mobility and availability for active family farmers and to equip any future land observatory with sufficient powers to intervene in cases of excessive consolidation, as advocated by stakeholders at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agricul…

2242. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on promised amendments to the Control of Dogs Act 1986 and the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 ,; the measures he is proposing to introduce to strengthen the rights of all dogs, including greyhounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25126/26]

2243. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing a proposal for timber sold to mills after being harvested from forestry plantations can be sold by cubic metre, as is usual across European countries, rather than being sold by tonne, as is currently the standard in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25132/26]

2244. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider establishing a forestry development agency to ensure that Ireland makes the best use of expertise in the forestry sector rather than allowing individuals to work in silos; if he will consider modelling this proposed forestry development agency on Board Iascaigh Mhara;; and if he will make a statem…

2245. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider a payment plan/scheme for broadleaf plantations beyond the 20-year mark, to make broadleaf plantations more financially viable for farmers in forestry, given there is currently only a 20-year payment for broadleaf planting with no commercial payout at the end of this time period and farmers are le…

2246. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the reconstitution ash dieback scheme; of the €230million set aside to the ash dieback reconstitution scheme, the amount that has been paid out to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25135/26]

2247. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the reconstitution ash dieback scheme 2023-2027 will be extended beyond the 2027 deadline (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25136/26]

2248. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine with regard to fallen forests as a result of storm Éowyn, which are rotten, cannot be harvested and where native trees have since sprouted, if an environmental scheme can be accessed for same that would allow the land to be left as it is; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25137/26]

2249. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of funding given to Horse Sport (HSI) Ireland in each of the past five years; the extent of the oversight that his Department has relative to how the funding is spent; if there is a formal memorandum of understanding is in place; if his attention has been drawn to the serious disquiet and lack of trust t…

2250. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current safeguards in place to protect animal welfare during long-distance live cattle exports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25215/26]

2251. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the oversight and inspection requirements for vessels involved in shipments of long-distance live cattle exports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25216/26]

2252. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which welfare standards are monitored throughout long-distance live cattle export journeys to non-EU destinations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25217/26]

2253. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department intends to review the policy on live exports in light of concerns about transport duration, welfare at destination, and any risks associated with the current geopolitical situation in receiving countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25218/26]

2254. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of recent footage circulating on social media which appears to show greyhounds being kept in conditions giving rise to serious animal welfare concerns at a premises (details supplied); whether his Department has initiated a formal investigation into this matter; the timeline for any such investiga…

2255. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the initial estimated allocation compared to the actual outturn for the period of carbon tax to his Department, disaggregated by the programme or measure funded, for each of the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25275/26]

2256. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will list the countries from which Ireland imports farm fertiliser. [25298/26]

2257. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department holds any data or analysis on the quantity in weight or monetary value of farm fertiliser purchased by Irish farmers each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25299/26]

2258. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has undertaken any cost-analysis of the amount it would cost the Exchequer if his Department were to subsidise the cost of farm fertiliser to the extent necessary to bring it back in line with the average price from 2025; if so, if he will share such analysis with this Deputy; and if he will make a …

2259. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of allocated carbon tax funding that remained unspent at year end; the amount surrendered back to the Exchequer via the Central Fund; the amount carried over via formal arrangements for deferred surrender; and whether amounts carried over were retained for the specific programme/measure originally a…

2260. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total pay bill for the civil service in his Department for each year from 2016 to 2025 inclusive. [25436/26]