asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if payments are currently being made to Northern Ireland producers under the UK fatstock guarantee scheme; and, if so, why payments are not being made under the beef and lamb export guarantee scheme to producers in the Twenty-six Counties in view of the fact that the two schemes are linked under the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement.
Written Answers. - Beef and Lamb Export Guarantee Scheme.
87.
Deficiency payments are at present being paid under the British fatstock guarantee scheme to Northern Ireland producers of cattle and of sheep and lambs. In respect of exports of mutton and lamb from here equivalent payments are being made under our export guarantee scheme. No payments fall to be made on our exports of beef because our rate of support payment on beef is below the weekly deficiency payment rate under the British fatstock guarantee scheme.
88.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if the present differential between the rates of payment to Northern Ireland producers under the UK fatstock guarantee scheme and the equivalent rates of payment under the beef and lamb export guarantee scheme will be retained after accession to the EEC.
89.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries how the beef and lamb export guarantee scheme will be affected by EEC membership; and the negotiating position adopted by Ireland in relation to it.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 89 together. The question of the future of the beef export guarantee scheme following accession to the EEC was raised at a negotiating meeting with the Communities on 24th November. We have asked that payments under the scheme be phased out in line with the phasing out of the British deficiency payments system. A decision on the question of a differential between the rates of payment to Northern Ireland producers under the UK fatstock guarantee scheme and the equivalent rates of payment under the beef and lamb export guarantee scheme will be taken in the light of the outcome of the negotiations.
As there is as yet no common organisation of the market for sheep and lamb, the scheme as it applies to lamb is not an issue in the negotiations.