Parliamentary questions

484. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the publication of the new Animal Welfare Strategy 2026-2030; if it will contain stronger provisions against improper and illegal use of horses on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13810/26]

485. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to orient future CAP implementation towards incentives rather than obligations to reduce administrative burdens on farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13820/26]

486. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the potential benefits of merging agri-environmental measures with eco-schemes to halve administrative requirements and make programs more attractive to Irish farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13821/26]

487. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how the proposed €40 billion innovation window in the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework will be utilised to support Irish agricultural advancements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13823/26]

488. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total amount paid out in flood compensation from the vote allocation of his Department each year since 2011, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13910/26]

489. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the specific supports and guidance being provided to tillage farmers in counties such as Offaly, to comply with the new GAEC 7 crop rotation and diversification requirements and the catch crop alternative under the 2026 BISS scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13916/26]

490. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated administrative and compliance costs for tillage farmers arising from the updated GAEC standards in 2026; the measures he is taking to minimise the regulatory burden on family farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13917/26]

491. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a recent statement by a farmer representative organisation (details supplied); if he will engage with processors to ensure farmers receive a fair return that reflects market fundamentals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13918/26]

492. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide the latest weekly and year-to-date cattle slaughter figures for 2026; his assessment of the 30,000+ head shortfall in the first six weeks of the year; the steps his Department is taking to safeguard both farmer incomes and processing capacity in the beef sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter.…

493. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to reports of potential redundancies in beef processing facilities amid declining cattle throughput; the contingency measures in place to protect rural employment in counties such as County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13920/26]

494. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the findings of the government-funded PigTail Project; his Department’s position on the widespread concerns expressed by Irish pig farmers regarding the risks and costs of ceasing tail docking; the financial or practical supports he intends to provide should regulatory changes be pursued; and if he wil…

495. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will rule out any unilateral move to ban or restrict tail docking in the Irish pig sector without full compensation, revised housing standards and market premiums for producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13922/26]

496. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of the €193.8 million in BISS and CRISS payments made to pension-age farmers in 2025; his views on the fact that almost 40% of applications came from or on behalf of those over 65; the specific actions being taken to improve land access and CAP support for young and new-entrant farmers in…

238. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s current policy approach to the development of a sustainable seaweed sector in Ireland; his assessment of the Marine Institute’s socioeconomic study on seaweed harvesting funded under the EMFF Seafood Development Programme; if any policy or strategic measures are being considered in response; …

239. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the funding allocated to NGOs by his Department in 2025; the funding allocated to NGOs by agencies and bodies under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13076/26]

240. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of forest owners in receipt of annual premiums, by county; the total number of forest owners in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13153/26]

241. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of inconclusive animals identified under the TB programme between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13155/26]

242. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are any helplines to report incidents of animal cruelty. [13231/26]

243. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he is taking to strengthen governance in Bord Bia and to ensure the chair and board members of Bord Bia do not have commercial arrangements that cut across Bord Bia’s mission to promote Irish food and higher standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13245/26]

244. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in light of recent controversy, the way in which he intends to protect the integrity and meaning of the Bord Bia quality mark, in order that consumers can have genuine confidence that it stands for something better than the minimum legal standards for imported meat; and if he will make a statement on the mat…

957. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied with the current enforcement of legislation to protect animals through arrests and animal seizures; if he has considered establishing a specific unit within his Department to combat animal cruelty; if he has considered establishing a specific unit within An Garda Síochána to combat animal cruelty. [1…

958. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of vacant sites being used as horse stables in Dublin 8; if he is concerned over the abuse of horses at these sites. [12866/26]

959. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of sanitary and phytosanitary checks which were carried out at designated border control posts here on imports covered by common health entry documents for products of animal origin by country of origin in the years 2024, 2025 and to-date in 2026 [11597/26]

960. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of common health entry documents for products of animal origin that were processed by his officials by designated border control posts of entry for the years of 2024, 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form. [11598/26]

961. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding the total level of Exchequer funding spent by his Department on funding NGOs, by organisation, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11790/26]