asked the Minister for Agriculture when EEC aid will be made available for animal disease eradication in this country; and the terms and amount of such aid.
Written Answers. - Animal Disease Eradication.
278.
The Council of Ministers of the EEC adopted a directive introducing Community measures for the eradication of brucellosis, tuberculosis and leucosis in cattle. Under the provisions of the directive, member states in which these disease exist shall draw up national plans for the acceleration of their eradication schemes. If these plans are approved, Community funds to the extent of 60 units of account per cow and 30 units of account per bovine animal other than a cow will be paid to the member state for animals slaughtered under the plans. One of the conditions of payment proposed is that infected animals must be slaughtered within 30 days of identification.
The criteria with which member states' plans must comply in order to qualify for Community aid are at present under consideration at EEC council level. It is hoped that this consideration will be completed shortly so that our plans relating to bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis may be finalised for transmission to the EEC Commission.
Applications for payment in respect of slaughterings carried out by member states in the course of a calendar year must be submitted to the EEC Commission before 1st July of the following year. Any payments due will subsequently be made to the member states on consideration of these applications.