Vol. 513 No. 6
227 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the amount paid to factories under the boned, condemned and commercial categories of the 1998 ewe supplementary measure; and the total amounts paid in each of the years 1998 and 1999. [3440/00]
Under the 1998 ewe supplementary measure the amounts paid to factories under each category were as follows: boner, £107,967; condemned, £779,670.
No payments were made under the commercial category. The total amount paid to factories to the end of December 1998 was £870,462 and the amount paid in 1999 was £17,175.
228 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the steps, if any, taken to monitor rendering by factories particularly during the culled ewe scheme; and the statistics for offal increase in the factories due to the measure for each of the years 1998 and 1999. [3441/00]
The supervision arrangements by the Department's veterinary inspectors at meat export premises to ensure that veterinary and welfare requirements were met operated throughout the duration of the ewe supplementary measure.
In 1998, a total of 122,683 ewes were slaughtered under the cull ewe scheme. The total quantity of offal produced is estimated at 1,900 tonnes.
229 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development his views on whether the levy of £3.74 per animal charged to farmers by meat factories is appropriate in view of the fact that the statutory meat inspection levy was abolished with effect from 10 January 2000; and the action, if any, he will take against the meat plants to remove this levy from livestock producers. [3442/00]
The system of charging meat inspection fees on the basis of standard costs was changed to a system based on actual costs per plant with effect from 10 January 2000. EU regulations allow meat inspection fees to be passed on to third parties on whose behalf the activities are carried out. In view of this, meat plants are permitted to pass on to livestock producers that element of the cost that is appropriate to slaughtering. However, the amount which may be passed on to producers will depend on the precise arrangements between the individual plants and their suppliers.
