I propose to take Questions Nos. 32, 33 and 43 together.
At the end of September 1996 milk deliveries exceeded our national quota when calculated over the same period by 4.8 per cent. If milk deliveries for the remainder of this quota year were to remain even at the same level as last year, dairy farmers would face a super levy liability in the region of £40 million.
In this context, therefore, irrespective of what measures are put in place, there is no possibility of meeting the quota requirements of producers who are seriously over-quota irrespective of their location within the country. It is the producers themselves who must act responsibly and in accordance with expert direction from their Teagasc and co-operative advisers on how to minimise their liability.
The objective of the recently introduced clawback measure on land-quota leases and sales is to promote the temporary leasing scheme as an alternative to land-quota leasing, and to favour quota restructuring over land-quota sales. Under these schemes, priority is afforded to smaller scale producers and so the measure will primarily benefit these. While there will be some positive effect this year, the main benefit of the clawback will not be felt until the beginning of the next quota year.