Austin Currie
Question:7 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the fact that letters are currently being issued by his Department to hundreds of farmers throughout the country who are applicants for the February 1993 special beef premium, informing them that they are disqualified from this scheme in view of inconsistencies in the declared age of some of the animals on their applications by reference to the December 1992 beef premium scheme; his views on whether it is fair to apply the regulations in this way; his views on whether the inference in these letters that the farmers involved made a deliberately false declaration is acceptable; and if he will have this inference withdrawn and apologies issued to those against whom it was made.