Parliamentary questions

483. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the dedicated livestock vessel used to transport the 117 pregnant heifers exported from Ireland to Libya on 5 January 2025, including the name of the vessel on which the animals were shipped from Spain; whether this vessel will be authorised for use from Ireland under Irish and EU animal welfare and transport sta…

484. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to consider implementing an alternative policy to the mandatory bovine TB slaughter policy given concerns that have been raised (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11288/26]

485. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine considering the importance of protecting the native Irish honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera), when his Department will make public the research commissioned in 2023 to University of Galway which concluded in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11308/26]

486. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to an animal welfare case (details supplied); if he believes existing animal welfare legislation is sufficient to address cases like this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11313/26]

487. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with an animal welfare organisation (details supplied) in relation to specific incident that occurred in Dublin on 3 February 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11315/26]

488. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will engage with animal welfare organisations in relation to their specific concerns related to sulky racing on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11317/26]

489. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount expended by his Department and by each agency for which he is responsible on advertising, promotion, advertising companies and external communications companies or consultants in 2025 and the expected costs for 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11344/26]

490. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps being taken to address the unacceptable delays in the processing of aquaculture licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11373/26]

491. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of inspections carried out by his Department in each of the past five years relating to equine welfare, including cases involving neglect, mistreatment, abandonment, or tethering; the number of horses seized, euthanised, or otherwise removed from owners following such inspections; the number of prosecutions …

492. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulatory and enforcement framework governing the breeding, keeping, and welfare of dogs used for hunting purposes; the number of inspections carried out by his Department or on its behalf in each of the past five years in respect of dog breeding establishments and private dog keepers; the number of enforcement ac…

493. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department maintains a central database or cross-agency mechanism to identify repeat offenders under animal welfare legislation; if not, whether consideration has been given to introducing such a system; and if he will make a statement on how repeat offenders are currently identified and restricted from con…

254. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quantity in kilogrammes and value in euro of sheep meat, chilled or frozen, categorised as of Irish origin exported from the State, by the country that it was exported to over the past ten calendar years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10509/26]

255. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quantity in kilogrammes and value in euro of sheep meat, either chilled or frozen, by animal category (details supplied) exported from the State, by the country that it was exported over the past ten full calendar years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10510/26]

256. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quantity in number of head and value in euro, by animal category (details supplied) of live sheep exported from the State, by the country that it was exported to over the past ten calendar years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10511/26]

257. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the quantity in head and value in euro by animal category (details supplied) of live sheep imported into the State, by the country that it was imported from over the past ten calendar years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10512/26]

258. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm for intra-EU trade to and from Ireland whether TRACES is the only system that is used to record animal and animal products exports from and imports to Ireland, or if there is any other system or database used for the purpose of recording such trade-related information; and if he will make a stateme…

259. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm the process that is in place and followed in Ireland to verify the accuracy of information recorded by those that export either live animals or animal products on TRACES, the European Commission's online platform for sanitary and phytosanitary certification; and if he will make a statement on the m…

260. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm for intra-EU and EU trade to and from Ireland that is recorded on TRACES, if animal products such as meat from bovines, ovines or porcines that has not been processed beyond its raw state, either chilled or frozen, can be categorised as food on the system and thereby make it impossible to determine…

261. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm for each of the past ten calendar years the total number of TRACES declarations for exports from Ireland to Intra-EU and EU exports of both live animals and animal products on which non-conformances were found; the predominant nature of the non-conformances; and if he will make a statement on the m…

262. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm for the past ten calendar years the total number of TRACES declarations for exports from Ireland of Intra-EU and EU exports for both live animals and animal products; the number of individual verification checks that were completed on these TRACES declarations; and if he will make a statement on th…

263. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of peat, in tonnes, imported into Ireland from 2016 to 2026, broken down by country, in tabular form. [10531/26]

264. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of food items, by type, weight and country of origin seized at ports of entry in the State in 2024, 2025 and to-date in 2026. [10706/26]

265. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to clarify if non-stun slaughter is permitted in Ireland; and if so, the circumstances; and his plans to ban non-stun slaughter outright in Ireland. [10893/26]

266. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has examined, or plans to examine, whether dredging or other marine related works in the vicinity of the Clontarf Baths could reduce wave overtopping and coastal flooding impacting nearby businesses; whether such works fall within the remit of his Department; whether any assessment is planned; the …

267. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether dredging or other marine works in the corner area of the Clontarf Baths, following flooding and wave overtopping on 5 February 2026 that impacted local businesses, fall within the functions of his Department; whether any assessment has been undertaken or is planned; the indicative timeline for any such asses…