Latest news with #andtheMarine
Agriland
26-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
CAP must remain ‘a core EU priority'
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must remain a core priority for the European Union. The minister made the comments ahead of a meeting the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) today (Monday, May 26). The European Commission recently published a large package of measures designed to 'simplify the CAP and boost EU farmers' competitiveness'. However, a proposal understood to involve a radical overhaul of the EU budget has caused major concerns among farm organisations leading to protests in Ireland and Europe. CAP Minister Heydon said that the CAP is essential to a sustainable future for the agri-food sector. 'Stability and certainty should be a key focus in our consideration for the next CAP post-2027. We need to focus on keeping the full CAP toolbox available to support our farmers. 'That requires a dedicated and robust CAP Budget, with the full set of options under Pillar 1 and Pillar 2,' he said. The minister said he wants to work closely with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen and his EU counterparts 'to ensure the importance of the CAP is well understood during the negotiations on the next EU Budget'. 'Equally, I will be making the point that we need a dedicated and sufficient budget line to support the seafood sector. 'The Commission's Vision for Agriculture and Food provides us with a strategic framework to plan for the sustainable development of the European agri-food sector, and a positive future for our farmers. 'I particularly welcome that the vision acknowledges the importance of the family farm model and the need to support its long-term viability. The design of the next CAP is of fundamental importance to delivering on that objective,' the minister added. The AGRIFISH Council will also hold a discussion today on the markets situation, including participation by Vitaliy Koval, the Ukrainian Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food. 'I look forward to hearing from Minister Koval and I will reaffirm Ireland's full solidarity with Ukraine and reaffirm our respect and admiration for the people of Ukraine after three years of terrible war,' Minster Heydon said. 'I also look forward to discussing how the administrative burden arising from the EU Deforestation Regulation can be reduced, and to holding bilateral meetings with my Austrian and Latvian counterparts,' he added.
Agriland
21-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
ACRES payment delays ‘source of great frustration' for Heydon
The Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine Martin Heydon has expressed his frustration around payment delays for farmers in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). The minister was responding to a question in the Dáil last evening (Tuesday, May 20) from Fianna Fáil TD Albert Dolan about the reason for the delay in payments. 'Not a week goes by in which I do not have a farmer in east Galway contacting my office regarding the delays to ACRES payments. 'What has gone so wrong with ACRES payments? Why has there been such a delay? What lessons will be learned to ensure this does not happen again?' Deputy Dolan said. ACRES is the €1.5 billion flagship agri-environmental scheme provided under Ireland's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027. ACRES Minister Heydon said that 'payments in respect of farmers' participation in the ACRES scheme continue to issue on a weekly basis as cases pass all validation checks'. 'Last week, I announced that balancing payments in respect of the 2024 scheme year have commenced with more than €33 million issuing to 42,444 participants. 'A total of €490 million has issued since ACRES payments commenced at the end of 2023,' he said. 'However, I am acutely aware that others are still awaiting payments. This is a source of great frustration for me. I have been dealing with it since the minute I assumed this role. 'In the case of the 2023 scheme year, 97% of participants have been paid in full. As regards 2024, 90% of participants have received their advance payments and almost 88% of these have now received a balancing payment,' the minister added. Heydon said that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is 'committed to resolving the issues that have been delaying the remaining payments as soon as possible and is making progress in this regard'. 'I know that is cold comfort if you are one of the few who still have not been sorted. We have made significant progress and built momentum, which I continue to do,' he said. Payments Deputy Dolan told the minister that it is important to show farmers that if they sign up for a scheme they need to be assured of payment on time. Minister Heydon said that when he took office it was not acceptable to him to 'meet so many farmers where in many instances, the fault was with the department'. 'In some instances it was with themselves for various reasons but in the majority of cases, it has been on our side. 'I have visited Johnstown Castle and have engaged directly with the officials. I have directed additional resources into the units. 'I have got down into the detail of the different cohorts and how they are affected. 'One reason it takes time to fix this is that I am not willing to have a quick fix that needs a manual intervention every year. 'I want to make sure that the resolution here means that this problem does not recur every year. That is why we are getting through this and I stick to the commitments I made previously to resolve this as quickly as possible,' he said.
Agriland
14-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
ICBF AGM views data on causes of falling carcass weights
The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation's (ICBF's) annual general meeting (AGM) took place on Thursday, May 8, in Portlaoise, Co. Laois. The event was attended by the ICBF board of directors, which includes representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM), farm lobby groups, artificial insemination (AI) companies, and cattle breed societies. Data on trends in the performance and the genetic composition of the national herd was presented at the event, as well as updates on ICBF finances. A presentation on cattle finishing trends outlined that the carcass weights of suckler-bred cattle has been generally increasing since 2010, but dairy x beef and dairy x dairy carcass weights have been declining. The data below outlines some of the key beef performance traits of cattle by breed type since 2010: Source: ICBF The AGM was told that suckler cattle quality is not declining because of the Euro-Star indices. It was also claimed at the meeting that the quality of beef cattle from the dairy herd 'has been declining', but that this is due to the decline in the beef merit of the dairy cow. Also noted at the AGM was the 3% drop in dairy cow numbers ,and the 6% drop in suckler-cow numbers in the past year. The graph and table below illustrate trends in cow numbers over the past decade: Source: ICBF On April 1, 2025, there were over 98,000 fewer cows in Ireland than on April 1, 2024, with 50,800 fewer dairy cows and 47,500 fewer suckler cows. ICBF financials It was outlined that while the ICBF is 'not for profit', it cannot be for loss either and so aims for a 2% margin to ensure it breaks even. A 2.1% margin was achieved in 2024. In 2024, the ICBF income was approximately 23.7 million, down from 23.8 million in 2023. Expenditure was described as 'steady' year-on-year at approximately €23.4 million in 2023 versus €23.1 million in 2024. In 2023, the ICBF surplus after tax was €428,000 versus €507,000 in 2024, resulting in a 2024 margin of 2.1%.
Agriland
13-05-2025
- General
- Agriland
DAFM: Additional ACRES actions to be satellite monitored
A total of seven actions under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) will be monitored for compliance using satellite technology this year. The Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) has said it will continue to use the Area Monitoring System (AMS) to ensure that area-based schemes, including ACRES, have met their eligibility requirements for 2025. AMS involves the regular and systematic observation, tracking and assessment of agricultural activities and practices on agricultural areas using Copernicus Sentinel Satellite data. ACRES Last year, AMS monitored two ACRES actions, Extensively Grazed Pasture and Winter Bird Food, as part of the 2024 ACRES checks. This year, the deparment has confirmed that a further five actions will be added, as follows: Brassica Fodder Stubble: AMS will check for establishment of catch crop; Catch Crops: AMS will check for establishment of catch crop; Environmental Management of Arable Fallow: AMS will check for establishment of catch crop; of catch crop; Extensively Grazed Pasture: AMS will check for mowing events during the restricted period, from March 15 to July 1; restricted period, from March 15 to July 1; Riparian Buffer Zone – Arable: AMS will check for the presence of a grass crop and mowing events during the restricted period, from March 1 to August 31; and mowing events during the restricted period, from March 1 to August 31; Riparian Buffer Zone – Grassland: AMS will check for the presence of a grass crop and mowing events during the restricted period, from March 1 to August 31; and mowing events during the restricted period, from March 1 to August 31; Winter Bird Food: AMS will check for establishment of Winter Bird Food crop by May 15. This brings to seven the total number of ACRES specific actions that will be monitored by AMS in 2025. Satellite The AMS interprets Sentinel satellite imagery which then enables DAFM to determine agricultural activities on the 1.3 million declared land parcels in the country. The parcels monitored by AMS will have colour-coded results: green, yellow, or red. DAFM said that parcels flagged as green and yellow indicate a degree of confidence that the land details in the farmer's application has been verified by AMS and payments can be made. However, a land parcel flagged as red indicates an error which may result in a notification being issued to the applicant on their BISS online account, along with a request to submit geotagged photographs using the department's Agrisnap app. An error could include an ineligible crop sown to meet the requirements of a particular scheme, an incorrect crop declared on BISS (different to what AMS has identified on the ground) or the presence of an ineligible feature such as a roadway or residence. The department noted that AMS may be complemented with follow up checks on the ground by an inspector to provide further clarification. DAFM added that failure to respond to an AMS notification and to submit an Agrisnap may result in a delay to scheme payments.
Agriland
07-05-2025
- Health
- Agriland
‘Up-regulation' for antiparasitic products deferred to September
The introduction of the requirement for antiparasitic veterinary medicines to be provided only with prescriptions has been deferred until September 1. From September 1, a veterinary prescription will be required for all antiparasitic veterinary medicinal products for food producing animals. The implementation date has been moved to acknowledge the significant change required in moving to digital prescribing for both prescribers and retailers of veterinary medicines, and also farmers, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine. Digital prescribing via the National Veterinary Prescription System (NVPS) was introduced on January 13 for the prescribing and dispensing of all prescription-only veterinary medicines. According to Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine Martin Heydon, there has been 'significant engagement' with the NVPS since January, but 'greater engagement' is needed in the intervening period to support a smooth transition and maintenance of current supply chains. 'I am conscious that this is a marked change to the regulation of antiparasitics. It is, however, necessary to address the increasing challenge of antiparasitic resistance, and evidence-based prescribing will support farm productivity and food security into the future,' the minister said. Antiparasitics are prescription-only medicines in all other EU member states. A 2019 report from Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) outlined the requirement for the 'up-regulation' of antiparasitics to prescription-only medicines due to evidence of antiparasitic resistance. Antiparasitics resistance is frequently cited by authorities as a significant threat to animal health and welfare, and overall farm productivity and profitability. Last week, the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) announced that it is updating its code of professional conduct in response to the changes brought on by the new veterinary medicines regulations. The VCI, which is the statutory body for regulating veterinary medicine in Ireland, said that its code of professional conduct is a binding code of conduct setting mandatory standards for the practice of veterinary medicine for all veterinary practitioners registered in the country. The body said that this update to the VCI code of conduct is required in response to the implementation of an EU regulation on veterinary medicinal products and the rules around the prescribing and use of veterinary medicines.
