Taking subsidies away from retired farmers would be a disaster on so many levels
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
EU sanctions envoy says Ireland must 'beef up' Naval Service
The European Union's Sanctions Envoy has said Ireland needs to make significant improvements to its Naval Service in order to better monitor its maritime zone and address the ongoing movement of sanctioned Russian vessels off the west coast. David O'Sullivan told RTÉ that Ireland "really needs to beef up our capacity and patrol and police our territorial waters," and described the Naval Service as in "poor shape." Mr O'Sullivan, a former EU Ambassador to the United States, is now responsible for trying to stop Russia's attempts to evade European sanctions which are designed to cut off funding for its war in Ukraine. Earlier RTÉ reported that vessels belonging to Russia's so called 'shadow fleet' regularly transited through the Irish maritime Exclusive Economic Zone – a large area extending into the Atlantic off the west coast which is the site of major undersea cables and shipping lanes. The shadow fleet vessels are used to help Russia export oil and circumvent oil price caps imposed as part of western sanctions. Asked about what Ireland could do to help tackle the activities of shadow fleet vessels off Ireland, Mr O'Sullivan said "unfortunately I think the Irish Naval Serice is not equipped to be able to deal with this at the present time". There are "many reasons" why the Irish naval service needs to be revamped, he said, adding the shadow fleet is a "new imperative to which Ireland will have to respond." Non-military vessels – including sanctioned vessels – can legally transit through an EEZ but are required to have the correct insurance in place when moving through certain areas, including busy shipping lanes like those off the west coast. However, analysts say the vessels in the Russian shadow fleet are typically poorly maintained and lack proper insurance. 'Shadow fleet' vessels have also conducted activities considered risky at sea, including turning off location transponders and conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers. The data reported earlier by RTÉ showed that some 245 shadow fleet vessels passed through Ireland's maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) more than 450 times so far this year. The figures were provided by maritime intelligence company Windward which uses satellite imagery and AI technology to spot, analyse and monitor ships, including those which turn their transponders off. Windward's data included information on routes taken through the Irish EEZ by 72 vessels which have been directly named on sanctions lists. Experts have warned that the movement through Irish waters of shadow fleet vessels poses a serious environmental risk and undermines international efforts to isolate Russia's energy sector which is used to fund the country's war in Ukraine. David O'Sullivan accepted there "would, in any event, be limits to what the naval service could do," to a non-military vessel within an EEZ, before adding "but obviously this pleads, yet again, our vulnerability to this kind of activity, to the risks to undersea cables, and the fact that we really need to beef up our capacity and patrol and police our territorial waters." He said the European Union wants to stop the transit of these shadow fleet vessels but said it is a difficult task to completely stop their transit. "Member states are tightening their controls. The UK has done that through the English Channel" he said. "I think what is now happening in the Irish case, is that the Russian ships are going around the coast of Ireland into Ireland's economic zone, but not our territorial waters, and escaping the kind of checks say in the Baltic Sea.... or that the British are doing, of asking to see proof of the insurance." Asked about its monitoring of 'shadow fleet' activity within the Irish EEZ, the Defence Forces said: "While it is our policy not to comment on specific operational matters, all relevant information gathered in support of Maritime Domain Awareness is shared in a timely manner with the appropriate national and international authorities. "The Defence Forces, through the deployment of Naval Service and Air Corps assets, maintains a continuous presence and vigilance within Ireland's maritime domain. We monitor all activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as part of our routine operations to ensure the security and integrity of our waters."
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
'Full on war' between John Magnier and American tycoon over €22m Tipperary estate, High Court hears
THE HIGH COURT has heard of a deleted text message sent by the sister of Richard Thomson-Moore in which she was critical of American tycoon Maurice Regan before Mr Regan offered the family €5M more than John Magnier's bid for their 17th Century Tipperary Estate. Alexandra McCullough was giving evidence to the court this afternoon in the legal row over the collapse of a €15M agreement for the farming estate taken by bloodstock billionaire John Magnier against Ms McCullough's brother. Mr Magnier was in court today. In the text, she described the fight for the 751-acre Barne estate in Tipperary between Mr Regan and Mr Magnier as 'full on war'. In the deleted 10 September 102023, text to local auctioneer John Stokes, Ms McCullough described letters allegedly sent to Mr Stokes by Mr Regan as 'swiping' and 'sniffing' in the manner of his approach in making offers on Barne. She further said he had 'thrown a tantrum' over the sale. The court was told the text was only discovered because the estate agent took a screen grab of it. Competing bidder Mr Regan, the court heard, had complained in legal letters to Mr Stokes about the way the auctioneer handled the proposed sale. Mr Mangier, the court has heard, believed he had a deal for the land after a purported handshake agreement with Mr Thomson-Moore at his Coolmore home the month beforehand. In messages confirmed by the witness, she described Mr Magnier as 'savvy' and 'decent'. Ms McCullough described the situation of the competing bidders, Mr Magnier and Mr Regan, to Mr Stokes: 'We are now at full war and we are the peasants caught up in it.' Mr Magnier is suing Mr Thomson-Moore and Barne over the collapse of the purchase. The estate has been owned by the Thomson-Moore family for generations and is held in a trust. Caren Geoghegan SC, for the Magnier side, put it to Ms McCullough that she deleted the message because she was afraid the disparaging comments about Mr Regan would come to light should the trustees of Barne entertain the higher offer submitted by Mr Regan as the family later requested. Ms Geoghegan also put it to Ms McCullough that she deleted the message after a €50K cash gift from Mr Magnier, gifted to Anna and Richard Thomson-Moore in brown envelopes, was returned to Coolmore on 11 September, 2023. Ms McCullough said she initially reacted to the offer of €50K in a text to Mr Stokes saying 'sounds good'. She told the court she 'just thought it a goodwill blessing gesture that happens in Irish business' which was 'above board'. Advertisement As time went by and when the money was returned, Ms McCullough said she was, by then, 'uncomfortable' with the cash offer. Ms Geoghegan said the deleted message was because Ms McCullough did not want it to come to light as it was 'critical' of the eventual preferred buyer Mr Regan and whereas it said Mr Magnier had behaved 'decently'. Ms McCullough said it was a 'hot message' she was 'uncomfortable with'. She said she was getting rid of a message in which she had been 'lippy about someone I didn't know' and that it was 'not as intentional as you [Ms Geoghegan] are inferring'. She confirmed it was the only message she deleted during the August to October 2023 period. 'I felt I was very rude about Mr Regan,' said Ms McCullough, who referenced people in her own job with 'so much money', 'stirring' things and 'making up lies' with whom she chooses not to engage. Mr Magnier is suing Mr Thomson-Moore and Barne over the collapse of the purchase. The estate has been owned by the Thomson-Moore family for generations and is held in a trust. Mr Magnier wants the court to enforce the deal he claims he sealed with Mr Thomson-Moore with a €15M hand-shake agreement for the 751-acre estate on 22 August, 2023, at Mr Magnier's Coolmore home. The Magnier side has sued the Barne Estate, Mr Thomson-Moore and three trustee companies of IQEQ (Jersey) Ltd group, seeking to enforce the purported deal, which they say had been 'unequivocally' agreed. The Barne defendants say there was never any such agreement, as they needed the consent of the trustees to finalise any deal. Mr Thomson-Moore has told the court that while a 'price' was agreed with Mr Magnier for Barne, a 'deal' was not. After agreeing on €15M, Barne and the Magniers entered into an exclusivity agreement stipulating that Barne would not permit itself or its representatives to solicit or encourage any expression of interest, inquiry or offer on the property from anyone other than Mr Magnier between 31 August to 20 September, 2023. The trustees who hold the estate initially decided to remain loyal to the Magnier offer and felt Mr Regan's higher offer could be seen as 'provocative'. After the exclusivity period had ended, the trustees decided to go with Mr Regan's offer Mr Regan finally offered €22.25M and was made the preferred bidder. Mr Regan is not a party to the case. The case continues before Mr Justice Max Barrett. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Tax group points out inconsistency in greenhouse gas taxes as farms escape cost
The group defends the carbon tax, which will rise again in the autumn budget, noting that revenues from it have been used to boost welfare payments and provide energy-efficiency supports for low-income households. It also notes that the tax – intended to discourage use of fossil fuels as the primary sources of greenhouse gas emissions – is not applied to the other primary source, methane. 'It should be noted that the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (ie methane) are not subject to any environmental tax,' the group says in analysis presented to ministers. Farmers did have to pay carbon tax on fuel for agricultural vehicles but it was at a reduced rate, it said. 'Marked gas oil' - as agricultural diesel is categorised – currently costs 48 cents less per litre than regular diesel, it said. 'Farmers continue to be eligible for a double income tax relief,' the group said. 'A farmer may take an income tax or corporation tax deduction for farm diesel and then a further deduction for farm diesel which is equal to the difference between the carbon tax charged and the carbon tax that would have been charged had it been calculated at 2012 levels.' The tax paper also highlights different environmental taxes in other EU countries, including a new tax on livestock emissions announced in Denmark. Danish farmers will pay a tax of €40 per tonne of livestock methane emissions from 2030 which will increase to €100 by 2035. Revenues will help finance what the Danish parliament has described as the 'reorganisation' of the landscape with more focus on forestry and natural spaces. The Tax Strategy Group make no recommendations based on the proposal but flag research recently undertaken in Ireland around similar ideas. 'The Pathways project, funded by the European Climate Foundation, in partnership with the Institute of International & European Affairs, has published a series of papers on the future of the Irish Agri-food sector,' it says. 'Their paper on 'Agricultural Climate Policy in Ireland from 2030 to Net Zero' recommends Ireland establish an independent Emissions Pricing Design Commission, modelled on Denmark's expert group, to assess the feasibility and design of emissions pricing in Ireland's agricultural sector.'
