Thursday, 25 May 2023

Written Answers Nos. 208-227

An Garda Síochána

Questions (208, 214, 217)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

208. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which plans are in hand to increase recruitment to An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25502/23]

Bernard Durkan

Question:

214. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice if adequate steps are being taken to recruit sufficient numbers of gardaí to meet policing requirements in all areas throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25510/23]

Bernard Durkan

Question:

217. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which perceived deficiencies in the number of gardaí available to the various Garda divisions throughout the country can be addressed in the short to medium term given increasing demands, increased population growth and in some cases the closure of some Garda stations, which may need to be reopened in the event of such closures being a contributory factor in the number of crimes reported and pursued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25513/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 208, 214 and 217 together.

As the Deputy will be aware the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána. This includes the allocation of resources, such as Garda members. As Minister I have no role in these matters.

I have been assured by the Garda authorities that the Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continual review to ensure their optimum use. Factors taken into consideration include population sizes, crime stats and trends.

The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, which is reflected in an allocation of €2.14 billion under Budget 2023.

This level of funding will provide a steady pipeline of new Gardaí in the coming years, and the Government will continue to work with the Commissioner to ensure that members of An Garda Síochána are fully supported.

This funding allocation provides for the recruitment of up to 1,000 Gardaí and 400 additional Garda staff this year.

The Government is steadfast in its commitment to supporting the Commissioner in bringing the number of Gardaí to 15,000 and above in the coming years. There have been challenges with recruitment due to the COVID pandemic restrictions, however, the Commissioner assures me that with a steady pipeline of recruits through the Garda College, recruitment will continue to meet the demands of the organisation.

There has been an almost 10% increase in the number of Garda members since 2015. The high levels of interest in the recent recruitment campaigns reflects the enduring popularity of a career as a Garda.

As the Deputy will be aware An Garda Síochána launched a new recruitment campaign on 24 March and closed on 14 April 2023. This year’s campaign, which was shorter in duration than the 2022 campaign, attracted 4,973 applicants.

While there was some pent up demand last year due to the pause in Garda recruitment due to COVID, this level of interest is in line with 2019, the last pre-COVID recruitment campaign, and demonstrates the demand to join AGS is as strong as ever.

The initial stage of the application process for this year’s campaign differed to the 2022 campaign with all applicants filling out an application in the first instance, rather than just declaring an interest. This gives a clearer idea of how many people are fully committed to applying this year.

An Garda Síochána

Questions (209, 210)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

209. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current strength of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25503/23]

Bernard Durkan

Question:

210. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the current strength of An Garda Síochána, by gender; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25504/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 and 210 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána including all human resource matters and recruitment. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

For the Deputy's information, and in the interest of transparency, statistics related to the Garda workforce are published on my Department's website and updated regularly with information provided by the Garda authorities at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/

The table below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the overall strength, broken down by gender, for 30 April 2023:

Rank	Strength on30/04/2023	Male	Female
Commissioner	1	1
Deputy Commissioner	2		2
Assistant Commissioner	8	4	4
Chief Superintendent	45	38	7
Superintendent	168	140	28
Inspector	442	355	87
Sergeant	2,042	1,541	501
Garda	11,287	7,956	3,331
Total	13,995	10,035	3,960

Question No. 210 answered with Question No. 209.

Gangland Crime

Questions (211)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

211. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which he and his Department are successfully combatting organised crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25505/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I can assure the Deputy that tackling organised crime activity is the overriding priority for An Garda Síochána and the Government.

The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business by law, and that I, as Minister, have no role in operational policing matters.

We should not underestimate the difficulties which the Garda authorities face in tackling organised crime activity. We continue to see the significant results of their efforts in arrests made, people being brought before the Courts, both here and in other jurisdictions, and drugs and firearms seizures.

An Garda Síochána tackles organised criminal activity through a range of targeted measures designed to disrupt and dismantle the operations of criminal organisations. To the greatest extent possible, these measures include the use of advanced analytical and intelligence methodologies.

The additional resources allocated to An Garda Síochána in recent years have enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime, including the Armed Support Unit, Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).

An Garda Síochána uses multi-disciplinary approaches to ensure the activities of individuals and groups involved in criminal enterprise are effectively targeted. Such approaches include the use of money-laundering legislation and the powers available to CAB under the proceeds of crime legislation.

Other measures taken to tackle organised crime include the strengthening of legislation where required, the establishment of a second Special Criminal Court in 2016, and the establishment of Garda Armed Response Units in all Garda regions which are available to support all divisions countrywide.

The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) is having significant success in disrupting drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs by organised crime groups.

Recent successes include:

- €280,000 of heroin seized in Clondalkin, Dublin under Operation Tara;

- €3.85m worth of cocaine seized in Ringaskiddy Port, Cork during a joint operation between Revenue Customs and GNDOCB;

- Over €1m in cannabis herb seized in Dublin, again during a joint operation between Revenue Customs and GNDOCB;

- searches of 18 properties and 2 areas of waste ground in Limerick City and County targeting the activities of a criminal organisation. During these searches Gardaí recovered/seized a BMW, an item of designer jewellery, a number of electronic items and six shotgun cartridges. Drugs were also seized including approximately €64,600 of suspected amphetamine and approximately €89,600 of suspected cannabis. Approximately €76,580 in cash was recovered with a further €18,000 frozen in credit union accounts.

I am progressing the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill which will increase the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life in prison. These new laws will ensure that An Garda Síochána and our Courts have the tools they need to take firm and decisive action to deal with our most serious criminals.

Justice Plan 2023 commits to working to break the links between gangs and the children they seek to recruit. This includes draft legislation to outlaw the grooming of children into a life of crime. In parallel, we will continue to operate a community intervention programme, “Greentown”, which seeks to protect children who are engaged or at risk of engaging with a criminal gang.

Prison Service

Questions (212)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

212. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the degree to which educational or rehabilitative provision is being made for first-time offenders while in prison, with a view to preventing recidivism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25507/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

The provision of education and training is key to reducing recidivism. The Irish Prison Service provides a wide range of rehabilitative and educational programmes that offer purposeful activity to people while serving sentences and encourage them to lead law abiding lives on release, in order to prevent recidivism. These programmes are available in all prisons and everyone in custody is eligible to use the services.

The work and training function provides work, work-training and other purposeful activities to all those in custody and includes areas such as catering, laundry, industrial cleaning and industrial skills.

I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that it is not possible to provide statistics in relation education and rehabilitation availed of by first time offenders, as the manner in which statistics are compiled does not distinguish between first time offenders and repeat offenders.

I am further advised by the Irish Prison Service that a snapshot for the week of 27th March 2023 to 31st March 2023 has identified 1,789 prisoners engaged in educational courses and 920 prisoners engaged in work and training activities. Prisoners may attend one or more education classes and /or work and training activity per week.

The Irish Prison Service is in the process of developing its 2023 – 2025 Strategic Plan. Central to this strategy will be building on the lessons learned over the past number of years and further developing the new modalities of learning that have been introduced, including a move away from classroom only learning and adopting a blended approach to the delivery of education. By harnessing new technologies and methods for the delivery of educational content, the Irish Prison Service can ensure that prisoners are facilitated to continue their learning beyond scheduled classes and extend the delivery of education and training provision to people in their care.

Departmental Data

Questions (213, 215)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

213. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons deemed to have committed further offences while on bail in each of the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25508/23]

Bernard Durkan

Question:

215. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons deemed to have committed a crime while released on bail in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25511/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 215 together.

As the Deputy was previously advised, and as I am sure the Deputy appreciates, the restricting of a person’s liberty is a serious issue, given the Constitutional presumption that a person is deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

While the State’s bail laws do provide for the refusal of bail in certain circumstances, the presiding Judge is entirely independent in the exercise of their judicial functions and the decision to grant bail in a particular case is solely a matter for the Judge.As previously conveyed to the Deputy, the Bail Act 1997 followed on foot of the 1996 referendum on a proposed amendment to the Constitution enabling a court to refuse bail for a person charged with a serious offence to prevent the risk of another serious offence being committed while on bail. Since then, the State’s bail laws were further strengthened, specifically by the Criminal Justice Act, 2007, the Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and the Criminal Justice Act, 2017. In considering whether to refuse bail under the 1997 Act, the Court is required to have regard to persistent serious offending by an applicant and, in specific circumstances, the nature and likelihood of any danger to a person or to the community from granting bail.The 2017 Act provides for stricter bail terms for repeat serious offenders, including the use of curfews and strengthens Garda powers to deal with breaches of bail. If an individual fails to comply with any bail conditions, the Judge will issue a bench warrant and this gives An Garda Síochána power to arrest and bring the person before the Court to answer all charges relating to the bail.In the event of a breach of High Court bail, the defendant must be brought before the Court as soon as practicable for a revocation hearing. A breach of bail may also result in an additional charge and an order and/or surety for ‘forfeiture and estreatment’ of the bail money.

While I am advised by An Garda Síochána that the State's amended bail laws have proven to be effective, all legislative provisions are of course kept under review.

The Deputy may wish to be aware that, Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence commits to establish a review cycle to identify outstanding and emerging further reforms required to law, practice and procedure outside of supporting the victim/survivor (with attention to the voices of adult and child survivors). As part of this work, consideration will be given to the possibility of placing limitations on the availability of bail for breaches of barring orders where there is a history of violence.

I have asked An Garda Sìochàna if it is possible to provide the information request by the Deputy. Unfortunately it has not been possible to confirm this within the timeframe allowed.

I will revert to the Deputy with any relevant information upon receipt.

Question No. 214 answered with Question No. 208.

Question No. 215 answered with Question No. 213.

Gangland Crime

Questions (216)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

216. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the extent to which membership of criminal gangs or those associated with drug crimes have decreased/increased in each of the past five years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25512/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, which includes the recording of incidents/crime data on the Garda PULSE system. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions. I am advised by the Garda authorities that membership of a 'criminal gang' is not recorded on PULSE and therefore the data requested by the Deputy is unavailable.

Given the fluid nature of such criminal groupings it is extremely difficult to quantify the number of criminal gangs operating at a particular time. Splinter groups and new gangs can form overnight. Organised Crime is constantly evolving and new innovations in crime are continuously emerging.

However, criminal legislation has been updated in recent years, with a view to ensuring that it provides a comprehensive range of provisions for the prosecution and punishment of crime, in particular the activities of those involved in organised crime.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics including drug related crime.

Question No. 217 answered with Question No. 208.

Departmental Reviews

Questions (218)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

218. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Justice the position regarding the review of the historic Poff and Barrett pardon cases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25536/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, a detailed application for posthumous Presidential pardons for Mr. Sylvester Poff and Mr. James Barrett was submitted by the Castleisland District Heritage incorporating the Michael O’Donohue Memorial Project in December 2021.

The application has completed an internal review within the Department, and I have approved a proposal to engage an independent expert in trial law to further examine and review the case of Mr. Poff and Mr. Barrett. The Department has been in touch with the applicants to provide this update.

Following completion of this independent expert review of the case, I will consider the report and decide how to proceed.

Departmental Data

Questions (219)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

219. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of vehicles reported stolen in each county in the State in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [25539/23]

Written answers

Minister for Justice

As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics. The CSO produces these statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and makes regular releases under reservation in relation to various crime statistics. The CSO also continues to work with An Garda Síochána to address quality issues in the underlying sources used to compile the statistics.

The information requested by the Deputy is publicly available on the CSO website at the following link for the 2016 to 2021 period: data.cso.ie/table/CJQ06

Data Protection

Questions (220)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

220. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if mobile and software applications from a company (details supplied) will be banned from Government devices to protect users’ data from being passed to state security services, in light of information outlined in a media report. [25368/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The use of mobile and software applications on Department issued devices complies with the guidance provided by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). This guidance is based on risk assessments appropriate to the circumstances and is kept under continuous review. My Department expects all users of official devices to exercise appropriate discretion in their use, and in using relevant communication services,  compliant with appropriate usage polices and the Civil Service Code of Conduct.

Forestry Sector

Questions (221)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

221. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail in tabular form, for each of the past five years, the percentage of private felling licences and the percentage of Coillte felling licences that have been approved by his Department within six months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25477/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

My  Department has delivered considerable improvements  in the processing of all forestry licences as well as reductions in the time taken to process newer files and last year we had another significant year-on-year increase in the number of licences issued. We issued 4,713 licences which was 1,100 more than applications received.

We continue to issue and accept felling licence applications and have to 19th May this year issued 1,229 felling licences since 1st January.  In 2022, we issued 817 more felling licences than felling applications received. Furthermore, last year we issued record levels of felling licences at 3,293 for 9.6 million cubic metres of wood, or 46,027 Hectares. These licences have up to 10 year timelines and are  being  used by forest owners providing work for forestry contractors and supplying sawmills.

 In the last two years, 48% of all felling licences issued to private forest owners and 52% to Coillte. In 2022, this figure was closer with 1,686 (51%) felling licences issuing to Coillte and 1,607 (49%) issuing to private landowners.

Licences issued to Private and Coillte from in each of the last five years. 

Year	Private Licences Issued	Private Licences Issued within 6 months	Percentage
2023	682	108	15.84%
2022	1,607	233	14.50%
2021	1,294	211	16.31%
2020	813	348	42.80%
2019	981	511	52.09%

Year	Coillte Licences Issued	Coillte Licences Issued within 6 months	Percentage
2023	547	203	37.11%
2022	1,686	718	42.59%
2021	1,529	391	25.57%
2020	871	411	47.19%
2019	3,134	2,816	89.85%

 

Along with Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, I remain fully committed to delivering a licensing system which will meets the needs of the sector and of society.

Food Industry

Questions (222)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

222. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he continues to monitor the needs of the agri-food producing sector, with particular reference to the need to ensure the viability of the family farm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25516/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

My Department constantly monitors the agri-food sector. Along with regularly meeting with representatives of the sector, holding formal consultations and attending public forums, my Department monitors developments in farm incomes, viability, structures, key commodities, food industry trends and other key economic indicators.

My Department prepares and publishes an Annual Review and Outlook (ARO), which provides up-to-date information and statistical analysis from a variety of sources, to give a detailed overview of Ireland’s agri-food sector and an outlook for the future. A summary of key indicators of farm incomes and structures, as well as trade, labour and other economic data can also be found in the agriculture and trade fact sheets available on my Department's website.

The Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) for 2021, which was released in September 2022, looks at the viability of family farms.  A farm is defined as 'viable' if family labour is remunerated at greater than or equal to the minimum wage and there is sufficient income to provide an additional five per cent return on non-land based assets employed on the farm.  A farm may also be classified as 'sustainable' based on off-farm employment. 

According to the NFS, 42% of farms were classified 'viable' in 2021; this is the highest proportion of viable farms in the last decade. A further 31% of farms were considered 'sustainable' due to the presence of an off-farm income source; while the remaining 27% of farms were classified as 'vulnerable'.

According to the NFS, in 80% of farm households either the farmer and/or spouse has an off-farm job and/or other income from pension or social assistance. Therefore, just 20% of farm households rely fully on their farm as their only source of income. In addition, in 2022 Irish farms received an average of €16,275 in Exchequer and EU payments to assist in the viability of their farms.

Food Vision 2030, our shared stakeholder-led strategy for agri-food, developed for the sector by the sector, has the potential to transform our agriculture, food, forestry and marine sectors. With environmental, economic and social sustainability at its core, Food Vision 2030 aims for Ireland to be “A World Leader in Sustainable Food Systems”. It places farmers at the centre of the strategy, prioritising the improvement of competitiveness and productivity of primary producers, increasing the creation of value and distributing it fairly, and introducing greater diversification in production systems and incomes.

Fishing Industry

Questions (223)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

223. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he continues to monitor the needs of the agri-food producing sector, with particular reference to the need to ensure the viability of the family fishing industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25517/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I can assure the Deputy that my Department constantly monitors the needs of the agri-food sector, including the seafood sector. Along with regularly meeting with representatives of the sector, holding formal consultations and attending public forums, we monitor developments in key economic indicators. My Department prepares and publishes an Annual Review and Outlook (ARO), which provides up-to-date information and statistical analysis from a variety of sources, to give a detailed overview of Ireland’s agri-food sector and an outlook for the future. The most recent Annual Review and Outlook report was published in November 2022.

I established the Seafood Sector Taskforce in March 2021 to examine the impacts of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on our fishing sector and coastal communities and to make recommendations to me on a mitigation strategy. I received the Report of the Seafood Task Force in October 2021 and, based on its recommendations, I have announced over €271 million in supports and development strategies to date.

Included in the schemes announced to date are short term supports and longer-term restructuring initiatives for the fishing fleet, capital supports for both processing and aquaculture sectors, funding for entrepreneurial initiatives in coastal communities and investment in marine infrastructure. Combined, these schemes contribute to sustaining employment in the seafood sector as a whole, providing new career opportunities and ensuring those transitioning within the sector are supported.

Despite the challenges, Ireland’s fishing industry has remained resilient.  In April this year, BIM published its Business of Seafood report for 2022. The report indicated that, overall, the value of the seafood sector to the Irish economy rose in 2022 to €1.3 billion (from €1.25 billion in 2021). The report also stated that the value of the overall Irish seafood sector increased by 13% in 2022, while the overall value of Irish aquaculture products increased by 10%.

I can assure the Deputy that this Government is committed to addressing the challenges facing our seafood sector and I continue to pursue all opportunities to increase the fishing opportunities for Ireland’s fishing fleet. 

Food Industry

Questions (224)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

224. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which new markets continue to be established for Irish food and food products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25518/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the sustainable development of the agri-food sector over the decade ahead, includes several actions to develop overseas market opportunities and envisages a sustainable increase in the value of Irish agri-food exports to €21 billion by 2030, driven by value rather than volume. This will of course benefit both our primary producers and our agri-food industry.

Much progress has been made in the last decade in expanding the reach of Irish agri-food exports to consumers worldwide. Selling into international markets is challenging, but developing and diversifying new markets continues to be a top priority for my Department, in cooperation with Bord Bia.

An important component of the Government's strategy to develop and diversify markets is high-level ministerial trade missions. I have just returned from China, and further trade missions are planned later in the year to Africa and South East Asia.

Also essential to the development of new markets outside the EU is the technical work that frequently takes place behind the scenes. Technical negotiations with importing countries, including inward visits and inspection by their competent authorities, are typically a lengthy and multifaceted process, often taking several years before bilateral agreements are concluded and trade can commence.

For example, my Department hosted inward meat inspection missions from Thailand, Malaysia and the United States in 2022 and earlier this year we hosted an inspection team from Mexico. Looking forward, advance planning is now underway on scheduling a visit by Vietnamese auditors in the second half of the year.

Specifically in terms of meat exports, notable successes were achieved the past year in terms of market access for Irish meat, including: pork and pork products to Malaysia; beef, pigmeat and sheepmeat to Cambodia; and poultrymeat and chicken feet to Namibia. My Department also achieved enhanced access to markets including Singapore and the Philippines. Perhaps most notably, in January, our beef access to China was restored and following significant efforts, the first shipment arrived in Shanghai on 23rd April.

While my Department’s role is to open up international markets in consultation with stakeholders, it is  for industry - with the support of my officials and Bord Bia’s marketing expertise - to develop the potential opportunities available to it in those markets. The time frame for reaping the benefits is always a commercial decision for export enterprises.

Farm Safety

Questions (225)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

225. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which farm safety continues to be a major issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25519/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic.  

Farm safety is a major issue and continues to be the most dangerous occupation in terms of fatalities in the workplace, with children and the elderly particularly vulnerable.   There has been an average of 19 fatal incidents per year on Irish farms over the last ten years. There were 13 farm fatalities in 2022, but unfortunately this year to date, there have been three confirmed fatalities on farms.  All of these fatalities are tragic losses to farm families, the community and the sector. 

Fatal incidents on farms account for over 40% of all workplace fatal incidents. Data from the Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS) also reveals that there are approximately 4,500 non-fatal incidents each year on Irish farms.  

This Government has prioritised farm safety, health and wellbeing. My Ministerial colleague, Martin Heydon TD, has specific responsibility for Farm Safety as part of his portfolio.

My Department is implementing a series of farm safety, health and wellbeing initiatives in 2023 through dedicated funding of €2.5m. These initiatives promote farm safety practices and risk awareness and encourage behavioural change around farm safety from a young age, while also supporting those who have been impacted by fatal and non-fatal incidents.   

The measures include the Acceleration of Wear and Tear Allowances for Farm Safety Equipment, a joint promotional farm safety campaigns with the Health and Safety Authority and the ‘On Feirm Ground’ programme. Further proposals are in the process of being finalised and will be announced in due course.

My Department continues to engage with all stakeholders to improve farm safety, health and wellbeing on our farms. The number of deaths and injuries on Irish farms is too high and we need to continue to take steps to effect behavioural change and ensure that incident levels are reduced. 

Agriculture Industry

Questions (226)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

226. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way that the Irish dairy industry can invest with confidence, with particular reference to the need to maintain markets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25520/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I remain confident that the outlook for the Irish dairy industry and Irish dairy exports remains very positive. The dairy industry is one of our largest and most profitable sectors. Irish dairy exports exceeded the €7 billion euro mark last year, making it the largest food and drink export category. 

Last year, we exported over 1.6 million tonnes of dairy products to over 130 different countries around the globe. We ship over 85% of our dairy products to the EU and beyond. My Department continues to engage intensively with competent authorities overseas, our Embassy network, Bord Bia and industry, to ensure as many markets as possible are available for a broad and balanced range of dairy products.

Huge progress has been made in the last decade in expanding the reach of Irish agri-food exports to consumers worldwide.

Food Vision 2030 includes several actions to develop overseas market opportunities, and envisages a sustainable increase in the value of overall Irish agri-food exports to €21 billion by 2030, driven by increased value rather than volume. 

For an export driven sector like dairy, Ministerial led trade missions to our priority markets are a key part of our market access and diversification strategy. These overseas missions allow me to meet key decision-makers on market access requests, to strengthen commercial relationships with industry customers, and to bolster Ireland’s reputation as a trusted supplier of high quality, safe and sustainable dairy products.

I have just returned from China, and further trade missions are planned later in the year to Africa and South East Asia.

Also essential to the development and maintenance of markets outside the EU is the technical work that frequently takes place behind the scenes. Technical negotiations with importing countries, including inward visits and inspection by their competent authorities, are typically a lengthy and multifaceted process.

Selling into international markets is challenging but developing and diversifying new markets, while maintaining existing markets continues to be a top priority for my Department, in cooperation with Bord Bia.

Agriculture Industry

Questions (227)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

227. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which Irish lamb continues to be a major competitor on world markets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25521/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Irish sheep farmers produce a sustainable, world-class product as evidenced by the fact that it was exported to more than 30 destination markets in 2022. 

According to the CSO, the value of sheepmeat exports in 2022 increased by 17% to reach €453 million while volume rose by 14% to just over 66,300 metric tonnes. 

High-value EU markets accounted for approximately 75% of total exports in value and volume terms. France and Germany were the principal EU markets but Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Denmark were also significant outlets for Irish sheepmeat last year. 

The United Kingdom remained an important destination market, representing 13% and 16% of exports by value and volume respectively during the period.  

International markets – of which Switzerland and Canada were the leading destinations –  accounted for around 10% of total exports in value and volume terms.  

CSO data for the first quarter of 2023 shows that export volumes were 6% higher and were worth marginally more than for the same period in 2022.  

The overall outlook for Irish and EU lamb prices in 2023 is subject to some uncertainties as worldwide supplies are forecast to remain largely unchanged but the consumer response to ongoing inflationary pressure may affect Irish sheepmeat exports during 2023.  

Assuming Irish production costs and output prices are relatively stable, market prospects will also be affected by the availability of imported product in the EU and UK markets which is strongly influenced by demand and supply dynamics in the global sheepmeat trade. 

As enunciated in the Food Vision 2030 strategy, developing market opportunities at home and abroad remains a priority objective for my Department. Given that the Irish sheep sector is highly dependent on exports, enhancing market access for all product categories in international markets has a carcase balancing function for the processing industry. Generally speaking, the more diversified the trade opportunities available to the sector, the greater the likelihood of securing higher returns for primary producers. 

In that context, I continue to support sheepmeat exports through trade mission engagements and my Department's support for Bord Bia’s marketing and promotion activities nationally and internationally.