Written Answers. - Ewe Premium Quotas.
Noel Davern
Question:
146
Mr. Davern
asked the
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry
the number of applications from flock owners in County Tipperary (SR) as a percentage of the total number of applications nationally under the national reserve for ewe premium; and the total number of successful applicants from County Tipperary (SR) as a percentage of the total number of successful applications nationally under the scheme.
Noel Davern
Question:
147
Mr. Davern
asked the
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry
the criteria pertaining to applications under the national reserve for ewe premium quota; the total number of applications from flock owners from County Tipperary (SR) under the scheme; the number of successful applicants from County Tipperary (SR) under the scheme; the reason farmers from County Tipperary (SR) were unsuccessful; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together.
The terms and conditions governing the allocation of ewe premium quotas from the national reserve provide for quotas to be granted to the following categories of producers in descending order of priority—
Category 1
(a) flockowners whose application for the ewe premium in 1991, due to exceptional circumstances, did not correspond to the true situation of their holdings in previous years;
(b) flockowners who have regularly submitted an application for the ewe premium (including in 1992) but who have not done so in 1991;
(c) flockowners who were paid the ewe premium in 1991 but did not apply in 1992 due to exceptional circumstances;
(d) flockowners who submitted an application for the ewe premium for the first time in 1992 or subsequent years and who meet the following conditions:
—are under 35 years of age,
—their total household income is less than £14,822 per annum,
—at least 50 per cent of their total income is derived from farming,
—and have the following educational qualifications
(i) if born after 1 January 1968, must have (a) obtained the Teagasc Certificate in farming or a higher qualification or (b) have 3 years practical experience in farming and have satisfactorily completed a course of training in farming of a minimum duration of 150 hours, or
(ii) if born before 1 January 1968, meet the requirements outlined in (i) or have 5 years practical experience in farming.
Category 2
Flockowners who can demonstrate that the operation of the quota limits will jeopardise the viability of their holdings and who have embarked on (i) a farm improvement plan involving sheep production drawn up by 1 January 1993 or (ii) a finance restructuring plan related to sheep production drawn up in conjunction with Teagasc by 1 January 1993.
Only those flockowners where the total household income is less than £14,822 per annum may qualify for an allocation of reserve quota under this category.
Category 3
Flockowners who have acquired land formerly used for sheep production by other producers.
Flockowners who applied for the ewe premium for the first time in 1992 (Category 4) shall have priority access to quota which would have been allocated to flockowners who applied for the premium in 1991 but who, having ceased sheep farming, did not apply for the ewe premium in 1992 and whose holding was not taken over by another flockowner.
The total number of applications for ewe premium reserve quota received from flockowners in County Tipperary South Riding was 241 of which 78 were successful.
Applicants were unsuccessful because they did not qualify under any of the categories outlined above or because they already had sufficient quota to cover the number of ewes applied for in respect of the 1993 ewe premium scheme.
The number of applications received from flockowners in County Tipperary South Riding as a percentage of the total number of applications received nationally for ewe premium reserve quota was 2.23 per cent and the total number of successful applications received from applicants in Tipperary South Riding as a percentage of the total number of successful applications nationally was 2 per cent.
