Jim Higgins
Question:112 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has to reduce the number of ewes in her quota. [26147/98]
Written Answers - Sheep Destocking.
Under the terms of the interim framework plan for commonages recently agreed between my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, all sheep farmers with mountain ewes who declared commonage land in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry on their 1998 area aid application are now required to reduce their mountain ewes by at least 30 per cent of their 1998 quota. As the person named has commonage on which her mountain sheep are maintained the terms of the destocking measure apply in her case and her quota is reduced from 56 to 39. It is possible that when the individual framework plans are drawn up, the person named will be allowed to carry extra sheep whereupon all or part of quota rights now being frozen can be returned to her.