Vol. 463 No. 6
255 Mr. N. Treacy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will immediately waive the compliant/retention date for all sheep premia and others from 1 April 1996 instead of 18 April 1996, in order to ensure that the demand for meat products in Ireland is fully met from our own domestic market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6902/96]
Under EU Regulation 2700/93, it is a condition of qualification for the ewe premium payments that eligible animals are maintained in designated holdings for a period of 100 days. The dates of this period must be communicated to Brussels in advance.
In 1996 the retention period commenced on 9 January and therefore will not be completed until 18 April.
To waive this requirement it would be necessary to secure the agreement of the EU Commission and member states to an amendment of the EU Regulations. Such agreement is unlikely to be secured except in the most serious of circumstances.
There is no evidence that domestic demand for meat products cannot be fully met from available resources and therefore the measure which has been suggested is neither feasible nor necessary.
