Vol. 520 No. 2
89 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason a suckler quota in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cavan has been taken back by the national reserve in view of the fact the person (details supplied) leased the quota to his brother in 1996. [15616/00]
Under EU regulations governing the quota regime, farmers holding suckler cow quotas greater than seven were, up to 1996, required to use at least 50% of that quota in any one of two consecutive years, otherwise the part not used in the second year would be forfeited and returned to the national reserve.
The person named held a suckler cow quota of 12 premium rights but he did not use it in 1994 or in 1995. My Department wrote to him on 14 June 1996 seeking the reasons for the non use of the quota but no reply was received from him. There is no record in my Department of having received an application from the person named to lease out his quota. In the circumstances, the quota of 12 premium rights was returned to the national reserve in 1996 and I regret to say that it cannot be restored at this stage.
