Vol. 564 No. 3
59 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if participants in the milk production partnership can keep separate herd numbers and both participate in the REP scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9095/03]
Where a milk production partnership is established, only one of the partners can be named as the keeper of the herd. My Department's preference is that a new herd number be issued to the partnership, rather than transferring all the animals to the existing number of the named keeper. The issue of a new herd number helps clearly define that the partnership is a new entity that combines the herds of the partners rather than the take over of one by another. Where new numbers are issued to partnerships, the partners' old numbers are made dormant.
While all the bovine enterprises of partners must be pooled, there are certain circumstances in which a second herd number may be issued to the partnership at the discretion of the district veterinary office and in the interest of disease eradication programmes.
Currently, only one REPS application may be made by a partnership and all of the land farmed by the partnership must be included in it. In the consultation process on REPS which is currently under way my Department has received a submission concerning this matter, and it will be considered when proposals for amendments to REPS are being formulated for submission to the European Commission.
