Martin Heydon
Kildare South · Fine Gael · Ireland
“In the time allotted to us, I would say we will not be able to cover everything in CAP. To take the last point first, the budget is everything. While it is not part of my negotiations as chair of the AGRIFISH Council, it is a key focus of the Irish Presidency.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important point. A key focus of Food Vision 2030, the shared stakeholder-led strategy for the agrifood sector, is to grow the value of Irish agrifood exports in international markets, which, as I outlined earlier, we have been very successful at in recent years.”
“All producers selling raw milk must register with my Department and are subject to risk-based official controls that include inspection, audit and sampling.”
“Whether it is farmers with particular issues that are leading to environmental issues or issues with structures that need to be replaced, we are very lucky to have capital support in agriculture. I really believe in our TAMS structure.”
“I was delighted to be able to introduce the tillage sustainability support scheme earlier this year. I have not been found wanting in standing up and supporting a tillage sector that has been under pressure in recent times. The same applies to horticulture.”
“Following the publication of the report, I wrote to the chairperson of the board on 22 June 2026, requesting that the board develop a timely and effective action plan to address the recommendations in the report, and I will be seeking regular updates on its progress. I want to see these recommendations implemented and progressed.”
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“I agree with the Deputy. As he can see from my earlier response, it is not about on intervention that will change things and move the dial. It is a series of different things. When I looked at this previously when I was a Minister of State, the feedback from female farmers was that male-dominated knowledge transfer groups were a challenge. Having female-only knowledge transfer groups in certain instances has worked really well. There are lots of small, practical things we can do that can make a difference. I spent a long time in this House today talking about generational renewal. Our commission on generational renewal identified 31 barriers and challenges that we have to tackle. Gender is a significant challenge.”
“This is an issue that is close to my heart. I know the barriers that are there for female farmers. My dad died when I was eight. At the age of 43, my mother became that female farmer. That was not easy in 1986, and it is not easy today either for female farmers. We want to break those barriers. For many of the farmers who are operating on farms, their voice is not heard and their name is not seen on Department documents but they are integral part of the farming system. Those farmers are all over the country and it is about elevating them. There are a number of policy measures in the action plan, and it remains a top priority for me.”
“I thank the Deputy. It is timely this year because 2026 has been identified by the United Nations as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. My Department recently held a conference to launch the year in Ireland and to celebrate International Women's Day. I was delighted to announce the new International Year of the Woman Farmer ambassador, who will represent Ireland in Irish agriculture. She will raise awareness of existing supports and highlight issues that are important to women farmers. Further events for the International Year of the Woman Farmer will be held throughout the year. The calibre of applicants for that ambassador role was really impressive, as was the debate that took place on the day of the conference in Athlone. I was delighted to be able to attend and participate in part of that event.”
“It has informed an internal guidance note and checklist to assist in the design of future scheme documentation to ensure best practice. A review of the herd number application process was also undertaken and updated guidance documents, application forms and standard operating procedures have been implemented, ensuring greater consistency and ease of use. A women in agriculture webpage was created as a centralised point of information for, and promotion of, women involved in Irish agriculture. Promoting the role of women in sustainability, the group published a "Spotlight on Female-led Sustainability" booklet, profiling and promoting women's sustainability practices in the farming, food production, forestry, marine and research fields.”
“The group has delivered a winter webinar series to increase knowledge and awareness of my Department’s schemes, access to finance, agri-taxation, succession planning and social protection. This follows a number of in-person leadership and networking events nationwide last year. The group established an annual women in agriculture studies excellence sward, in association with the UCD school of agriculture and food science. Sponsored by my Department, it recognises academic merit and commitment to gender inclusivity among female students. A review of my Department’s schemes was completed to ensure language, terms and conditions and eligibility criteria do not present any unintended barriers to female farmer participation.”
“I join with Deputy O'Shea in extending my sympathies to Deputy Burke and his family on the passing of his mother-in-law. Gender equality in agriculture is a priority of mine and it is included in the programme for Government. Food Vision 2030 also recognises the importance of gender balance to the long-term sustainable future of the sector and committed to holding a national dialogue on women in agriculture. The dialogue, which took place in 2023, explored gender equality across the sector, with the outcomes and recommendations informing a report and national action plan which was launched in 2024. A working group was established to oversee its implementation, which is nearing completion.”
“We crystalised our decisions on the last day and that was absolutely the right strategic approach because we got the 10% down to 5%; we got the changes on the safeguards should we fail to meet the blocking minority . We always knew that we could not do this on our own. Population-wise and member state-wise, we knew that would not be able to make that contribution. It was a very strategic approach.”
“I met Francesco Lollobrigida, the Italian minister for agriculture, on a number of occasions to discuss this issue. I also met with ministers of agriculture from Poland, Austria, Cyprus, Latvia, Slovakia, Austria and many other countries that had, for a variety of reasons, expressed concerns. We engaged with them and worked all the way through. We worked to the very last point to get the maximum amount of leverage to see if we could build that bloc. We also pushed on the safeguards. No country would make a final decision that far out if it wanted to keep the maximum pressure on for the safeguards in the event that we failed to have a blocking minority.”
“Before I talk about anything I am doing next, the first thing I have to do is to counter what the Deputy just said on the floor of this House. It is complete false. I have been clear on this issue. At a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 27 January 2025, when I was four days into the job, I spoke about how I was opposed to the Mercosur trade deal and articulated that perspective very clearly. There were meetings on 24 February 2025 and 24 March 2025. On 23 June 2025, there was a meeting in Luxembourg. There were also meetings on 22 and 23 September 2025 and 17 November 2025 and the extraordinary meeting on 7 January this year as well. That is in addition to the bilateral meetings I had on a number of occasions with my counterpart, Annie Genevard, the French minister for agriculture.”
“We export 90% of the food and drink we produce, and those markets are really important. However, we will always have defensive interests as well as offensive interests when it comes to trade agreements and that is why we fought to raise our concerns regarding the Mercosur trade agreement, but also to say that, should it come to pass, those safeguards are so important. Getting the threshold for safeguard measures dropped from a 10% increase in import volume to a 5% increase, as well as the reduced 5% threshold for individual member states to trigger an intervention, are very significant changes that were fought for and measures like those are key to have in place.”
“I can go back over all of the times I have raised my opposition to the Mercosur deal in the AGRIFISH Council and in bilateral meetings. I have also been very frank and clear on that in my public utterances, on the floor of this House, in Brussels and in media interviews I have done on the issue. An element of the Deputy's question should be directed towards the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. This is a broader Government issue and trade deals are not decided by the Minister for agriculture, although I do speak up when they impact on agriculture and beyond. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has responsibility for trade across all the different trade agreements, of which there are many, and which, by and large, Irish farming and Irish farmers benefit greatly from.”
“We could never stop this on our own but we have worked with like-minded countries to build a bloc to do so. At the same time, as part of a twin-track approach, we have always pushed for the maximum amount of safeguarding measures to reassure our consumers and farmers should the agreement come into operation.”
“The Government will also engage closely with the Commission and with other like-minded EU member states to ensure follow-through on additional commitments in relation to food safety and environmental standards as well as the agreement's stated intention to better align the production standards of imported products with EU production standards, particularly with regard to pesticides and animal welfare. All of this work will be crucial to addressing the concerns of our farmers and our consumers. Some of these additional commitments were given by Commissioner Várhelyi at that special meeting in January, which I attended and where I raised and pushed those points with the Commissioner. Those safeguards that have been put in place are absolutely and critically important.”
“I have also raised them at every opportunity at the monthly AGRIFISH Council meetings in Brussels, at the extraordinary EU agriculture ministers’ meeting with Commissioners Hansen, Šefčovič and Várhelyi in January 2026, and in bilateral meetings with EU counterparts at the recent Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin, which was also in January. I note the decision by the European Commission to move ahead with the provisional application of the EU-Mercosur interim trade agreement. The Government’s focus is on ensuring rigorous monitoring by the Commission of the agreement’s market impacts and the robust enforcement, where necessary, by the Commission of the provisions of the recently agreed safeguards regulation.”
“I thank Deputy O'Hara for raising the important matter of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. The Government has been very clear about Ireland’s concerns in relation to the EU-Mercosur agreement and has expressed these consistently over a number of years, particularly in relation to the agreement's potential impact on the beef sector, the strength of its climate and sustainability commitments, and the production standards enforced by Mercosur countries. Since I took up the role of Minister in January of last year, I have met with like-minded EU counterparts to discuss these concerns.”
“Having certainty in this space and flexibility to bring in targeted measures to deliver on our policy objectives while not undermining the commonality of the Common Agricultural Policy is a balancing act that we have to get right here. I look forward to continuing to engage with colleagues, particularly in the context of Ireland holding the Presidency of the EU from July until the end of the year. It will be a pivotal time for us, particularly with regard to the negotiations on the MFF. What happens there will directly impact farmers through the Common Agricultural Policy.”
“For the benefit of the entire country, including those not interested in agriculture at all, 75% of the money we get back from Europe comes through Common Agricultural Policy measures. It is therefore in the interests of every citizen in this country that we get the maximum amount back from the CAP. If we do not get it from there, there will be a deficit in what we get back as against what we put into Europe. If there is a transition period, that will also have an impact. As of now, a transition period is not planned but the timelines are very tight to have a whole new CAP in place and ready to go for the beginning of January 2028. If the Commission decides down the line to have a transition period, Ireland has good experience in that space and we will try to help design that during our Presidency.”
“I am sorry. I thought I had dealt with the budget point clearly. It is our top priority. While it is not just me, I raise this at every single AGRIFISH meeting and in every engagement with Commissioner Hansen and other members of the Commission. The Tánaiste also raises the issue in his role in ECOFIN, as does the Taoiseach, who is in Brussels today. In all of those budget negotiations, there is a clear understanding across the EU that the CAP budget is critically important to Ireland. We are a net contributor, which means our voice is heard when we raise these points. I am proud that we are a net contributor. We have managed to take the structural funds of the 1980s and build a country and an economy that is going well enough to allow us to contribute more than we take in.”
“Commissioner Hansen's proposals talk about an increase from 3% of the budget to 8%. That would be really ambitious in the context of an increased budget and a lovely thing to deliver. If we are 20% down on the last budget, it is going to be really hard to deliver. Where do you cut money from to deliver in these areas? That may be a mandatory measure. These are the things we are trying to work through. We are trying to secure the maximum amount of flexibility so that we can be sure that interventions will deliver on generational renewal while also supporting all other sides of farming.”
“The State resources employed to support farmers are very significant, as are the European resources, but we always have to ask whether they are doing what they say on the tin and whether they are best delivering on our policy objectives. I look forward to debating those points here. I am sure that, if the Deputy were to put a specific question on forestry to the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, he would also be happy to debate the matter. I am aware of the particular case in Waterford that Deputy McGuinness has raised. It is a bit beyond the scope of this question. The issue of single farm payments comes down to who is the active farmer. That is the position on that question. I hope a resolution can be found in the near future. On Deputy Kenny's point on generational renewal and so on, this is going to be a really challenging debate.”
“It is not only us who are saying the Deputy is wrong. The Social, Economic, Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland also says he is wrong in that it has very much welcomed these changes and said that they will help small farmers in the area of forestry and beyond. It is very easy to polarise these issues and the Deputy is dead right; I have no doubt I will be back here disagreeing with him again on other definitions. However, with regard to the next CAP, our definition of an "active farmer" will be pivotal. It will impact what we do on generational renewal and in many other spaces. We will need to have a fair and honest discussion on all of the supports and measures that are now in place. Are they delivering what we need them to? Do they in some ways act as a barrier to those who actively want to farm and drive on?”
“These measures are all ones we are working through and when we have the Presidency, we will have to make more progress on them. As I said, generational renewal is an area of real importance. I would not agree with the changes around the mandatory pension meaning the stopping of the single farm payment. There are a lot of other measures in there by Christophe Hansen that are very ambitious around the generational renewal piece. Again, we have to work through these proposals. There needs to be more meat on the bones of them and we need to see which of them end up being permanent or mandatory and which will be optional.”
“Beyond that, we will have decisions to make on how best we can support our farmers with whatever the final CAP budget is and on how that CAP can best deliver. I am determined to deliver simplification and on the structures with which we do that. I have concerns about the NRPP structure and specific requirements for social cohesion and different elements. On the one hand, you could say work out of the national pot but on the other hand, you could tie your hands in terms of how much flexibility you have in that regard. We see that in terms of the additional €45 billion proposed by Ursula von der Leyen in January, how much of that we will be available to access and deliver to where we need to deliver it in comparison to other member states.”
“Alongside these ministerial engagements, my Department is in regular contact with the counterparts across member states and with the European Commission as part of the ongoing work on the CAP proposals. Working collaboratively with my EU counterparts, European Commissioner Christophe Hansen and the European Parliament, towards a robust and workable CAP framework is an absolute priority for me and the Department in the time ahead. Deputy Kenny is right when he says big decisions have to be made. Right now, the overall fund and a properly funded CAP continues to be a top priority for all of us to fight for. The Irish Government has clearly stated this is a top priority. It is not just me saying it but the Tánaiste, the Taioseach and others have said it.”
“In addition to monthly meetings of the Agri-Fish Council and informal contacts, I engage with other member states and ministers in bilateral meetings on a very regular basis. A recent example was my meeting with the Minister of Agriculture from Czechia, who was recently appointed to the Agri-Fish Council, en marge of the Agri-Fish Council meeting in February. I also welcomed the Finnish Minister for Agriculture and Forestry to Ireland in early March. The Ministers of State, Deputies Dooley and Michael Healy-Rae, and I engaged with her and her officials on our relevant portfolios. These engagements provide valuable opportunities to exchange views on the CAP proposals, better understand the positions of other member states and identify areas of common interest as negotiations progress.”
“This issue has been raised by several member states and the European Parliament to ensure CAP provisions are clearly reflected in the CAP legal framework. The Cyprus Presidency has indicated it wishes to progress work on this matter as soon as possible. A revised text incorporating the transferred provisions has recently been circulated to member states and is currently under examination by the relevant Council working party. The progress in agreeing the revised text will influence the next phase of discussions under the Cyprus Presidency and will ultimately determine the stage the file has reached when Ireland takes over the EU Presidency in July. While this work is taking place at working-party level, I engage very regularly with my counterparts from other member states on the CAP negotiations.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 113 together. The European Commission published its legislative proposals for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy in July last year, as part of its wider proposals for the next multi-annual financial framework, MFF, covering the period 2028-2034. Discussions on these proposals are currently ongoing at EU level. Under the Denmark Presidency and the Cyprus Presidency the proposed CAP regulation has a number of thematic blocks in order to facilitate a structural examination of the proposals by the expert working group. However, an important issue under discussion currently concerns the transfer of CAP-specific provisions from the proposed national and regional partnership plan, NRPP, regulation and into the CAP regulation itself.”
“Working through these and looking for the flexibility at member-state level to design generational measures best suit our system will be an important part of that. In a broader sense beyond even generational renewal, but definitely linked to it, is that the definition of the "active farmer" will be a critical point and that is something I will have to agree on. Through the CAP consultative committee we continue to engage with all stakeholders and I look forward to debating this in the House with the Deputy and other colleagues and at committee as well.”
“That is it exactly. The Deputy has articulated very clearly the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy on all of our rural communities. How do we achieve that? We achieve it in a number of ways. The Deputy identified generational renewable as one of the challenges of our time. This is not a challenge unique to us in Ireland or in even Europe. With growing urbanisation around the world and the fact that in Ireland we have full employment in a burgeoning economy, thankfully the next generation - farmers' children - have more options open to them economically than ever before. Commissioner Hansen's proposals about generational renewal are very ambitious and far-reaching. There is a number of them I can absolutely work with while there are some I would struggle with.”
“The Tánaiste, as Minister for Finance, has a key role to play in that regard, as will the Taoiseach and others in all the negotiations, ensuring that the policy remains a clearly identifiable common EU policy and providing sufficient flexibility for member states. Discussions on proposals are ongoing in the Council's preparatory bodies, including the special committee on agriculture, and the relevant Council working parties. Work is currently focused on progressing the text of the regulation and reaching agreement on compromise provisions among member states, so we continue that work.”
“I concur completely on the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy. We can talk about all the structures, all the rules and all the simplification that we can try to bring in and that I will look to bring in as we design a new scheme, but at its heart is the funding. If the overall funding envelope is 20% less than it was the last time, that is a very significant impact for our country. The Deputy is dead right in what he says about this being a whole-of-government approach. At the AGRIFISH Council, I raised the specific points about the structure of the CAP and beyond, and our first priority is a properly funded CAP.”
“We are looking to maintain the benefits of the commonality of the Common Agricultural Policy and the fact that we are part of the one common set of rules and the one common market, while also allowing the greatest amount of subsidiarity or flexibility for individual member states to recognise the fact that we farm very differently in Ireland from the way they do in many of the other EU member states. That is the balancing act I have in the coming months, particularly from 1 July, when I take over the presidency of the EU AGRIFISH Council. The CAP proposals have been discussed on several occasions at the monthly meetings of the AGRIFISH Council, where I have exchanged views with Commissioner Hansen and my other EU counterparts on the Commission's proposals and national priorities.”
“In addition, Ireland is seeking to ensure that the future CAP framework remains practical and workable in implementation for both farmers and administrations responsible for delivering the policy. Ireland is advocating for greater simplification and for sufficient flexibility for member states in the design of CAP interventions in order that supports can be tailored to national farming systems and circumstances while still contributing to the overall objectives of the policy. It sounds a little contradictory in a way but it is absolutely not.”
“I thank Deputy Cleere for raising the really important issue of the Common Agricultural Policy. Ireland's priorities in negotiating the CAP post 2027 are to ensure that the CAP remains properly funded, continues to support viable farm incomes and contributes to food security, rural development and environmental sustainability. The CAP plays a vital role in supporting farmers and rural communities and in underpinning the production of safe, high-quality food across the European Union. Ireland also considers it important that the CAP continue to operate as a clearly identifiable common EU policy, which has served us well down through the years, with appropriate governance arrangements and legal certainty for member states in the implementation of CAP measures.”
“On 12 February, we managed to secure a revised veterinary health certificate for hides and skins to China, which is a most significant market for this commodity to Irish exporters. That was really important. In addition, we secured an interim trade certificate between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Ireland on 18 February, which allowed dairy exports to Canada to resume. Every child is equally favoured, from exporters to all the others, and we continue to work with and engage with them, mindful of the pressures they are under and the important role they play.”
“As I said, there is ongoing engagement between exporters and officials in my Department, particularly in the veterinary health section. That was recognised in terms of the revised health certificates for Tunisia, which were secured on 18 February, and Algeria, to which we saw approximately 3,500 cattle exported in 2025 and 2,000 in 2024. That is all really important. The Deputy is dead right that live exports are an important part of Ireland's livestock industry. I understand they play a role in the price in other ways as well, for example, stimulating price competition and providing an alternative market outlet for farmers. That is why my Department facilitates this trade, and we continue to do so. We continue to engage on all other types of trade.”
“I understand that the conditions for exporters are challenging and that there is that increased cost where certain countries have set down criteria, but no more than with food or drink requirements and certificates - we export our dairy produce, our beef produce, Irish whiskey and beyond to 180 countries around the world - the receiving countries set those requirements, as they are entitled to do. We have to work with them and negotiate around those. I presume most of the points the Deputy raises relate to bluetongue. We have had a number of renegotiated health certificates and we have been doing that for the past two years now, mindful that there was a likelihood bluetongue would come here at some stage.”
“While I accept that and accept it is difficult for exporters at the moment, and they are meeting a lot of competition from farmers in the marts for these cattle, too, because of a shortage of cattle and a big demand from farmers for them, which makes it a challenging space, I think we would be having a much different conversation here if I had failed to reopen trade with Northern Ireland and if we had failed to gain access to the likes of Algeria and Tunisia.”
“That has been very important. Since confirmation of bluetongue virus in Ireland in January, my Department has engaged successfully with a number of third country markets, for example, Algeria and Tunisia, to amend veterinary health certificate requirements to allow trade to resume. That is my and my Department's role. It is to make sure that where there are blockages, my officials engage with officials in the relevant member state or third country and look to agree a set of conditions. Those conditions, however, are set down by the receiving country. We do not set them. We negotiate with those countries and try to make sure we have access.”
“While some export markets require vaccination or pre-export testing, in other markets this is not a requirement. My Department will, however, continue to engage with industry stakeholders and monitor developments in export requirements to ensure that Ireland remains competitive while maintaining the highest standards of animal health and welfare. Specifically in relation to bluetongue, conditions of derogations applied by other member states are set by the competent authorities in those member states, not by my Department. The vast majority of our exports of cattle, however, are to EU markets where no vaccination or pre-export testing is required. I recently co-ordinated closely with my Northern Ireland counterpart, as the Deputy will be aware, to ensure that cross-Border trade had been able to resume with no additional requirements.”
“I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice for raising the important issue of live exports. Whether it is live exports or agrifood, my role and that of my Department is to ensure market access for Irish farmers' produce. We need to provide the greatest number of opportunities and outlets to give the best possible return for those who export it and the companies that handle it. Obviously, that will drive a return for the farmers who produce that agricultural produce. At present, I do not have any plans to introduce a fund or specific financial support scheme to cover or contribute to the costs of vaccines or laboratory tests associated with live exports. These costs are considered part of the commercial and regulatory obligations associated with participation in certain export markets.”
“Obviously, we all take responsibility for animal welfare really seriously and we continue to evolve that. We have increased investment in that space. I look forward to establishing a new independently chaired advisory council on companion animal welfare. The public consultation phase will also feed into that. The dog control stakeholder group has a key role to play here as well.”
“As I said, responsibility for canine welfare, and the control and breeding of dogs, has recently come into my Department. I fought for it in the programme for Government talks. I feel it is a better fit coming under the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine because we also share the responsibility for animal welfare. I look forward to introducing legislation later this year to tighten up measures and make improvements in dog breeding and so on. I have said that previously on the floor of the House. The public consultation on this animal welfare strategy, about which the Deputy asked her question, bears out the priority this represents in the public's mind. I mentioned what comprised the majority of the submissions that were made. Given the progress that was made in the last animal welfare strategy, this is an evolution.”
“A throwaway comment on the floor of Parliament where she says that there is hardly any traceability is not borne out by the facts. The financial support my colleagues in the Department of agriculture and I are happy to provide for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund has seen increased allocations towards the area of welfare. On the question that was raised, I want to look at some of the success of the previous strategy on animal welfare from 2021 to 2025. Funding to welfare charities increased from the 2020 budget of €2.4 million to over €6 million distributed to over 100 organisations in 2023, 2024 and 2025. We saw the banning of fur farming. The Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council was relaunched and the first chair of the UCD school of veterinary animal welfare and veterinary ethics was appointed.”
“It is unfortunate she did not ask a question specifically on that because her question was on the broader animal welfare strategy, which is much broader than that. I disagree with some of the points she made, which are a dreadful slight on the thousands of people who work in our greyhound racing industry and who love the dogs and care for them greatly.”
“Analysis of the totality of the submissions demonstrates that canine welfare, including control and breeding, is an issue of importance to the public. This is a new area for me. I take on board the points the Deputy raised on the greyhound industry. I do not intend to ban greyhound racing here. It will not be a surprise to the Deputy to hear me to say that. The control of dogs from the pet perspective was the dominant issue raised in the public submissions to my Department. I am glad to have responsibility for it now and I am working on it.”
“In moving to the drafting stage, my Department will work through the issues arising from this consultation and other issues in this area, both from a national and international, particularly EU, perspective, as a final document evolves for publication, which I hope and anticipate will be in quarter 2 of this year. The new strategy will continue to adopt a one-health-one-welfare approach, acknowledging and valuing the interdependencies between human, animal and environmental health, and taking an evidence-led approach to policymaking, target-setting, monitoring and evaluation. There was quite a variance in the topics raised in those 1,750 submissions. Some 1,250 individual submissions referenced a wide variety of issues; 123 were more substantive in nature; and 376 submissions were campaign-type submissions on one specific issue.”
“I have a response here to the question the Deputy put down on the animal welfare strategy. The term of Ireland’s Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025: Working Together for Animal Welfare, our first ever animal welfare strategy, reached a conclusion at the end of last year. In 2025, a process was initiated to develop a new animal welfare strategy, which will act as a framework for engagement and collaboration to direct future activities with the aim of benefiting both animals and Irish society. Development of the strategy is now well under way following broad stakeholder engagement, including a non-statutory public consultation that was launched on 19 November and ran to 2 January. In excess of 1,750 individual submissions were received as part of that process.”
“On Deputy Kenny's point about wildlife, this is not passed from animal to animal but obviously it will be a challenge if the deer population has it and a midge lands on it but they will not pass it to each other.”
“Deputy Kenny saw how quickly we moved on skins and hides for China and regained access there. We were able to get measures in place to deal with susceptible animals moving from member states. We worked with them under health certificates as well, including the movement of animals for breeding purposes from North to South. They were all really important measures.”