Parliamentary questions

860. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has examined the findings of the recent research published in the Journal of Dairy Science (August 2025), which shows that prolonged periods without feed cause dehydration, hypoglycaemia, low energy, muscle fatigue, and other stress responses in unweaned calves, and that enhanced pre-transport f…

861. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken by his Department to ensure that unweaned calves receive adequate feeding, hydration, and rest during transport, particularly on long journeys within and outside of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63370/25]

862. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department is considering providing additional supports or infrastructure to ensure proper feeding, watering, and rest facilities for unweaned calves during transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63371/25]

863. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which compliance with existing EU and national feeding and welfare requirements for unweaned animals in transport is monitored and enforced; the number of inspections carried out and enforcement actions taken in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63372/25]

864. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether Ireland plans to support or advocate for stronger protections for unweaned animals during transport in upcoming EU negotiations on the revision of animal welfare and transport regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63373/25]

865. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his position on the live export of Irish animals to countries outside the European Union, given the serious welfare concerns regarding the transport and slaughter of animals in destination countries where no enforceable animal welfare framework exists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63374/25]

866. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the fact that there have been only four live export shipments to non-EU countries this year, involving approximately 9,000 cattle out of a total of 325,000 exported, and given that cattle prices are currently high, his views that the limited economic benefit of these exports justifies the serious welfa…

867. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider phasing out live exports of animals to non-EU countries and instead support the development of domestic or EU-based processing and slaughter capacity to reduce animal transport distances and improve welfare outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63376/25]

868. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of the 2,415 non-coursing greyhounds born in 2021, and with an active status on the Rásaíocht Con Éireann Traceability System as of 24 September 2025, that were recorded on the race management system as having trialled or raced in the 42 days preceding 24 September 2025 (details supplied); and if he wil…

869. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale for reducing the payment rate under the national sheep welfare scheme to €11.50 per ewe, despite the prior indication to farmers of a higher expected level of support; and the way in which his Department plans to address the financial shortfall now faced by sheep farmers as a result of this change. [63…

870. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an assessment was carried out on the impact of the reduced per-ewe payment on the viability of sheep farms, particularly hill and low-income farms, before the decision was taken to adjust the rate downward. [63487/25]

871. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm whether there will be a review of the 2025 and 2026 scheme allocations to restore the payment level originally understood by farmers; and to ensure that farmers are not penalised for participating in good faith in a scheme whose terms were subsequently diminished. [63488/25]

872. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being considered to rebuild trust with farmers following the reduction in scheme payments, given the ongoing pressures of poor market returns, high input costs, and tight margins in the sheep sector. [63489/25]

873. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department will reopen discussions with stakeholders regarding future scheme design to ensure payment stability, transparency, and fairness for sheep farmers who relied on the original scheme commitments when planning their farm income. [63490/25]

874. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63613/25]

875. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure that Ireland’s mackerel quota is not reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63705/25]

876. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the 2024 Dog Control Statistics will be published; the reasons for the delayed publication to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63726/25]

877. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for a publication date of the National Land Use Review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63835/25]

878. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on the independent review of Government funding for the Irish horse and greyhound racing industry that was due to commence following the publication of the report to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board by Mazars in November 2024. [63998/25]

879. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his engagements on the Mercosur Trade Agreement. [64000/25]

880. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which he plans to safeguard Irish farm competitiveness in the face of ongoing EU trade negotiations, including Mercosur; if he will request mandatory safeguards to prevent Irish beef, dairy, and tillage producers being undermined by imports produced to lower standards; and if he will make a state…

390. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide details on the deer management strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62699/25]

391. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide details on deer management units, including the locations, number of staff, and their remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62700/25]

392. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of road traffic accidents per county involving deer between 2015 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62704/25]

393. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of badgers that have been culled in each county between 2015 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62705/25]