Vol. 504 No. 7
167 Mr. Belton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of farm herd registers printed; the cost of printing; the cost of sending these books to the herd owners involved; the firm which printed them; if they were subject to tender; if his Department has applied for or received any EU grant towards their printing and distribution; and, if so, the amount of this grant. [12878/99]
The information requested is as follows: Number of bovine herd registers printed – 170,000; cost of printing – IR£700,000 (incl. VAT); cost of posting the registers to herdowners – IR£329,000.
The registers were printed by Cahill Printers Limited, East Wall Road, Dublin 3 who were awarded the contract on foot of an open tendering competition conducted in accordance with national and EU procurement rules. Funds are not available from the EU towards the cost of providing the registers.
The registers in question have been issued on a once-off basis to facilitate farmers and others in complying with EU and national legislation on the maintenance of records of cattle on farms and of animal remedies administrations in the contexts of animal identification and traceability, disease control, food safety and various premia scheme requirements.
