{"id":731,"date":"2021-06-14T23:00:29","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T23:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legalblog.ie\/?p=731"},"modified":"2021-06-14T23:00:29","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T23:00:29","slug":"department-of-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/department-of-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"Department of Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Department of Agriculture in its first incarnation<\/p>\n

In 1965 it became the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. It became the Department of Agriculture again in 1977 until 1987.\u00a0 In 1987 it became the Department of Agriculture and Food.\u00a0 In 1993, \u00a0became the Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry.\u00a0 It became the Department of Agriculture and Food again until 1997 until 1999.<\/p>\n

It was the Department of Agriculture Food and Rural Development from 1999 until \u00a02002 when it became the Department of Agriculture and Food for the third time.\u00a0 It became the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food in 2007.<\/p>\n

The Department\u00a0 was incorporated as the Department of Lands and Agriculture in 1924 until 1928.\u00a0 The Land Commission was transferred to the Department of Fisheries to form the Department of Lands and Fisheries in 1928.<\/p>\n

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The Poultry Eggs trade group is responsible for policy on breeding poultry and hatching eggs.<\/p>\n

The Meat Hygiene and Animal By-Products Division is responsible for policy on meat hygiene issues. It licences \u00a0the major slaughter cutting and processing plants and implements relevant legislation to ensure food safety. The plants are approved on the basis of inspections and \u00a0reports from the veterinary service of the Department.\u00a0 Veterinary health certs are issued to facilitate the marketing of meats and meat products in the EU.<\/p>\n

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The Animals By-Products section is responsible for policy and ensuring administration of animal by-products legislation.\u00a0 It approves and licenses ABP premises and operators and ensures inspection through veterinary inspection.\u00a0 The categorisation, collection, transport, process and storage and disposal \u00a0in an ABP is regulated through inspections of various plants, stores, facilities and haulier.<\/p>\n

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The Milk Policy Division regulates and develops the dairy industry.\u00a0 It ensures compliance with the requirements in relation to hygienic production of milk and milk-based products.\u00a0 It maintains a register of approved milk processing establishments S.I.\u00a0 910 of 2005 implementing EU Directive.\u00a0 It registers processing establishments and inspects to ensure conformity with EU standards. It liaises with the National Milk Agency.<\/p>\n

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Dairy premises inspections are made under Milk (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1979. A levy covers the cost of Departmental inspections.\u00a0 \u00a0It deals with complaints from the public about \u00a0milk and milk-based products.\u00a0 It notifies the Health Safety Authority of Ireland or Environmental Health Officer where required.\u00a0 It administers the pension payments of employees of the former Dublin and Cork District Milk Boards and the former Diary Disposal Company.\u00a0 It works closely with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.<\/p>\n

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The Trade and Market Policy Section is responsible for EU and trade issues relating to the Diary Sector.\u00a0 It seeks to foster the development of a competitive market orientated sector.\u00a0 It certifies public health and veterinary certification for exports to third countries in conjunction with Diary Produce Inspectors. It processes Public Health and Veterinary Export Certificates.<\/p>\n

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The Milk Management Committee manages milk and milk products. Its meetings include representatives of the EU Commission.\u00a0 It is involved in ongoing research on the dairy industry, policy related matters and CAP reform.\u00a0 The Milk Quota section was the authority in Ireland for implementation of the milk quota and sugar levy regimes.\u00a0 It deals with policy areas around these regimes and certain other restructuring schemes, temporary leasing schemes, Milk Quota Appeals Tribunal, Hardship and restricted herds, additional quota allocation scheme milk production partnerships.<\/p>\n

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It establishes and collects super levy penalty payments, controls and verifies issues in relation to butter fat content. It deals with the surrender of quotas from the reserve as well as issues regarding transfers of quota, eligibility exemption and \u00a0surrender of dormant \u00a0quotas.<\/p>\n

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The Food Division has overall responsibility for the formulation of policy for the development of a competitive consumer-based food industry.\u00a0 It supports the promotion of Irish food and drink, and the implementation of the food related actions in AgriVision 2015 and the achievements of the recommendation made in the strategy for science, technology and innovation relating to food research.<\/p>\n

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It monitors and controls grant assistance schemes in relation to capital investment under the National Development Plan and grants to research institutions for food research and development.\u00a0 The Division operates and controls the food quality of regional foodstuff regulations as they apply to Ireland.\u00a0 It supports Bord Bia in discharge of its functions through payment in grant and aid and support for its promotion activity<\/p>\n

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The Crops Policy Division promotes national interest in relation to the EU market, management policy for crops such as cereals, sugars, bananas, olive oil, hops tobacco and implements public policy in relation to Teagasc and its subsidiaries,\u00a0 Moorepark Technology Ltd, and Irish National Stud.<\/p>\n

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The State Bodies Division has responsibility for public policy in relation to Teagasc, Moorepark Technology Ltd.\u00a0 its subsidiaries.\u00a0 It monitors compliance with the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act, 1988 and advises the Minister on decisions and matters under that legislation. This section administers research to support collaborative institutional research projects.<\/p>\n

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The Crops Policy Cereal Section is responsible for policy in relation to cereals, rice and olive oil.\u00a0 It consults with the appropriate management committee at EU level in relation to issues in relation to cereals.<\/p>\n

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The Crops Policy Sugar Section is responsible for the Sugar and Tobacco Sectors and the implementation of the EU Sugar Restructuring Scheme.\u00a0 It services the EU Management Committee for Sugar and Tobacco.\u00a0 The Crops Policy, Biofuel\u2019s Policy Unit coordinates bio-energy initiatives.\u00a0 It operates the Bioenergy Scheme and encourages farmers to plant bioenergy products.\u00a0 It provides establishment grants of up to 50% of the costs of establishing certain biomass products.<\/p>\n

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The Food Safety Division has two sections.\u00a0 It coordinates the Department\u2019s role in food safety and hygiene.\u00a0 It acts under \u00a0contracts with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland under 1998 Act.<\/p>\n

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The Unit coordinates the Department\u2019s input to food safety issues at EU and national level.\u00a0 It liaises with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, The Food Safety Promotions Board and North-South bodies on food safety issues.\u00a0 It has overall responsibility for \u00a0the preparation of reports on food safety service contracts. It promotes the Department of Agriculture’s role in food safety to public. It maintains contacts with Safefood, the Food Safety Promotions Board, the Department of Health and the Department of Communications Marine and Natural Resources.<\/p>\n

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The Animals Products Import Section administers controls on \u00a0imports of animals products from \u00a0third countries.\u00a0 It works with Veterinary Inspectors in the trade, EU and other divisions.\u00a0 It seeks to protect public and animal health in the import of products .The Unit coordinates the progress in the work to ensure The Food Hygiene package regulations framework is in place.<\/p>\n

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The Animals Byproducts Import Section coordinates commercial imports and controls on animal products coming to Ireland, commercially or with travellers.\u00a0 It liaises with customs authorities.\u00a0 It is involved in the operational aspect of EU Border Inspection Post for animal products in Ireland. \u00a0It implements the EU legislation on third country imports of animal products.\u00a0 It registers importers of animal products.\u00a0 It licenses third-party imports for non-harmonised animals products, re-imports and samples. It \u00a0provides information to the public.<\/p>\n

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The North-South Coordination\u00a0 section coordinates cooperation between the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland and the Department of Agriculture.\u00a0 It liaises with the joint Secretariat of the North-South Ministerial Council.\u00a0 It is involved in the development all island animal health strategy and all island plant health and research strategy.<\/p>\n

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The Corporate Affairs Division is responsible for the management, development and coordination of the internal and external communications and customer service commitments of the Department.\u00a0 It comprises the following: a press office and public information service, a coordination section, a communications development section (dealing with the website), an Irish language unit and customer\u00a0 quality \/ service section.<\/p>\n

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The Corporate Section is divided into a number of divisions and areas.\u00a0 The Finance Division is responsible for monitoring and control of expenditure under the national vote d and the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and European Agricultural Rural Development Fund.\u00a0 It provides liaison with the European Commission and the Court of Auditors on audit matters.\u00a0 It represents the Department of Agriculture on EU Financial Committees dealing with the above funds.<\/p>\n

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It acts in partnership with the Department’s Internal Audit Unit and divisions on EU accreditation issues.\u00a0 It is comprised of the following subunits: a Financial Management and Analysis Unit, Accounting Support\/Management Information Unit, Transaction Reporting Unit, Risk Management and EU Unit.<\/p>\n

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The Accounts Division is divided into seven sections dealing with the departmental vote.<\/p>\n