Vol. 456 No. 7
45 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the plans, if any, he has to review the existing milk quota system in order to provide Irish producers and processors with enough flexibility to exploit opportunities in world markets; his views on whether France and Denmark will support reform of the quota system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14574/95]
The basic rules governing the EU milk quota system including the level of national quotas assigned to each member state, are set out in EU regulations. Individual member states must operate the quota system in accordance with these regulations.
It was decided in a 1992 review of the regime that the existing quota system would apply until the year 2000. There are no proposals at present for a fundamental review of the system, nor have any member states presented definitive views on the matter.
An Irish Dairy Board-Teagasc study of a range of policy options in the dairy sector is currently under way. I will obviously take the results of this study into account in assessing the correct approach for Ireland to adopt in any future debate on EU dairy policy. I am, of course, in favour of the maximum flexibility being available to Irish producers, where it is profitable to do so, to exploit on export markets our comparative advantage in milk production.
