Relevant Matter
Public policy or programme
Public Policy Area
Agriculture
Period
1 Sep, 2021 to 31 Dec, 2021
Specific Details
System-wide dysfunctional and unlawful governance of the Irish hemp industry
Intended results
Lawful regulation of the irish hemp industry
To prevent the Minister for Agriculture from removing two thirds of farm incomes from Irish hemp farming families and Irish owned SME's in the hemp sector
To address the unlawful operation of the Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme by the Department of Agriculture and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland
To prevent the transfer of the domestic Irish hemp industry to pharmaceutical companies operating in Ireland
To clarify the inconsistency of the enforcement practices of the Revenue Commissioners with the legal advice of Department of Health Regulators and the Revenue Commissioners own internal protocols in their capacity as acting agents for the Minister for Health
To ask the Minister for Justice to consider if the state's unlawful and irregular governance of the hemp sector created conditions where Irish citizens could be prosecuted for possessing a CAP regulated farm crop (which has been grown and utilised for decades by farmers/operators in Ireland) and if said prosecutions, carrying possible sentence of up to 14 years in prison, could fairly proceed in the absence of an investigation into the unlawful and irregular governance of the hemp industry
Clarify whether the Department of Agriculture held or participated in a second consultation to assess the viability of Irish farmers growing medicinal crops (including hemp) when DAFM policy specifically forbids all mention of any agricultural use of any part of the EU hemp crop apart from the stalk and how participants in the consultation were notified
To ask An Taoiseach to address the unlawful and irregular governance of the Irish hemp industry
To ask the Minister for Finance if he will deal with the matter of SBCI bank operating outside of EU and Irish law to impose financial sanctions on Irish hemp farms and businesses
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Chris Allen
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
Yes
What is the directive you gave to the grassroots campaigners?
Request action from elected officials to support the rights of Irish people and oppose the '"stalk only" consultation on hemp and to address the unlawful sanctions imposed on our farmers by SBCI bank and the Department of Agriculture which positioned the Minister for Agriculture to propose a consultation where two thirds of our industry revenues no longer existed
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Micheál Martin
An Taoiseach (Department of the Taoiseach)
Helen McEntee
Minister (Department of Justice)
Stephen Donnelly
Minister (Department of Health)
Paschal Donohoe
Minister (Department of Finance)
Colm Markey
MEP (European Parliament)
Niall Cody
Chairman (The Office of the Revenue Commissioners)
Pauline Tully
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Brendan Gleeson
Secretary General (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Charlie McConalogue
Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)