asked the Minister for Agriculture when he will consider alterations in the administration of the scheme for maintaining suckler cows, especially in regard to applicants who have "off farm employment", because the current assessment is giving rise to anomalies and unusual delays.
Written Answers. - Suckler Cow Scheme.
250.
An applicant under the EEC Suckler Cow Premium Scheme must be a full-time farmer, i.e., he must earn not less than 50 per cent of his income from farming and must spend more than 50 per cent of his working time on farming activities. The requirement to restrict benefits to full-time farmers is enshrined in the Council Regulation which introduced the scheme in June 1980 and applies to all member states.
This EEC requirement does not give rise to anomalies or unusual delays, although it is more difficult to implement than the off-farm income clause under the Cattle and Beef Cow Schemes in the Disadvantaged Areas in so far as it requires the farm income to be calculated whereas the latter does not.