asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the present position regarding the application of a person (details supplied) in County Waterford for an increased milk quota.
Written Answers. - Milk Quota.
70.
The person indicated is one of those producers whose milk deliveries in 1983, i.e., the reference year for the quota system, were adversely affected by animal disease. The Community regulations for the setting up of a national reserve to cover this type of situation, allow additional quotas to be allocated to such producers by the substitution of deliveries made in 1981 or 1982 (whichever is the higher) for their 1983 deliveries. However, this producer's 1983 deliveries were higher than in 1981 or 1982 so my Department could not allocate any additional quota to him out of the reserve which was set up for that purpose.
I am fully aware of the difficulties the quota system has caused for producers who had animal disease in their herds. I have sought to assist them within the limited degree of flexibility available to me under the Community regulations. I have, for instance, provided that the priority categories of farmers to be covered in the arrangements for the restructuring scheme, the temporary leasing scheme and the distribution of flexi-milk, include such producers. It was also as a result of a request made by me at the price fixing negotiations last spring that the EC Commission brought forward its proposal for the allocation of an additional 1 per cent of quotas to special priority producers. These proposals are presently being considered by the Council of Agricultural Ministers.