Vol. 519 No. 5
131 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason his Department refused to ratify a proposed 1999 suckler cow quota lease (details supplied); and if he will ensure that the number of suckler cow quota units concerned will be available to the owner for coming. [14339/00]
Under EU Regulations governing the quota regime, farmers who intend to buy or lease in suckler cow quota must do so, and notify my Department on the relevant forms, on or before the date they lodge their application for the suckler cow premium scheme.
The lessee named applied for the suckler cow premium scheme on 26 May 1999.
My Department received a leasing form on 1 November 1999 in which he sought to lease in ten premium rights from the lessor named. As the leasing form was received some months after he lodged his premium application, the lease could not be effected.
The lessor, lessee and the auctioneer through whom the leasing was submitted, were notified in writing on 11 November 1999 of the reason for the non-approval of the lease.
Under the same EU regulations, farmers holding suckler cow quotas greater than seven are required to use at least 90% of that quota every year, otherwise the part not used will be forfeited and returned to the National Reserve. In this case, the lessor named held a suckler cow quota of 34 premium rights but only used 21 of them (62%) in 1999. My Department wrote to the lessor named in January last seeking the reasons for the non-use of 90% of his quota in 1999 but no reply was received from him.
In those circumstances, the unused quota, i.e. 13 premium rights has been forfeited and returned to the national reserve.
