asked the Minister for Agriculture the action he proposes to take to alleviate the serious discrepancies which are being made in relation to the implementation of the calf subsidy scheme which was introduced from 20 May 1982.
Written Answers. - Calf Subsidy Scheme.
405.
I presume that the discrepancies referred to relate to the rejection of some calves as ineligible under the calf premium scheme. Under the EEC regulations only calves born from 20 May onwards are eligible and the inspecting officers of my Department have to refuse certificates of birth in respect of calves which, in their opinion, were born before that date.
From experience since the inspections under the scheme commenced about two weeks ago, however, it is clear that large numbers of over-age calves were being presented. The inspecting officers, who judge the ages of the calves from their size, weight and general appearance, are experienced in dealing with livestock and the majority of them have been deciding the ages of animals under various headage schemes for many years. Supervising officers who have been carrying out spot checks at inspection centres have confirmed that the rejections are warranted.