asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will review the guidelines presently operated by the veterinary section of his Department in the allocation of herd numbers especially with regard to purchases by family members of estates in their own locality, while still residing in the parental home, as young people are losing grant aid under the current system; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Allocation of Herd Numbers.
19.
Herd numbers are issued solely in the interests of disease control and eradication and there can be no question of any change in this position. In assessing applications for herd numbers the requirements are that the herd in question must be maintained and managed independently, without intermixing with animals from other herds, and that adequate and separate housing, testing facilities and fodder be available. The fact of residing in the parental home is not in itself a bar to getting a herd number.