asked the Minister for Agriculture the proposals he is submitting to the Council of Ministers for their meeting in July at which a second aid package for Irish agriculture is to be considered; whether these proposals will include: (a) an extension of the calf subsidy to all calves in suckler herds and not only to additional calves as envisaged under the current scheme; (b) an extension of the subsidy per cow in respect of artificial insemination to include suckler herds where owners maintain their own bull; (c) an increase in the lime subsidy in view of the fact that the liming season for this year has now ended and of the fact that in 1982 costs will increase further; (d) an extension of the EEC decision to pay a subsidy of £150 to first silage makers up to a limit of 50 tons, so that this scheme will be broadened to include farmers who are already in silage by the payment of a similar subsidy for nitrogenous fertiliser and for the reseeding of pastures up to a certain limit of silage produced and acreage reseeded.
Written Answers. - EEC Aid to Agriculture.
282.
In compliance with the request of the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 2 April, the responsibility for presenting to the Council proposals for further measures to aid Irish agriculture rests with the EEC Commission. I have already been in touch with the Commission about measures which might be appropriate in the context of the Council's undertaking and I have also had a meeting with the tarm organisations with a view to obtaining their views. I will be following up the matter with the Commission, but in the meantime I do not think that it would be desirable or proper to go into detail on the measures which might possibly be put to the Council by the Commission.