Dan Neville
Question:155 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the criteria for allocating milk quota from the national reserve in 2002. [5672/02]
Written Answers. - Milk Quota.
The allocation of milk quota from the national reserve is granted on the basis of recommendations from the milk quota appeals tribunal. The tribunal is a body established to consider applications for additional quota from individual producers who have suffered severe hardship in the context of the introduction of the milk quota system.
The tribunal gives priority to the following categories of producers: small scale producers whose entitlement to purchase quota under the 2000 and 2001 milk quota restructuring schemes was limited because of animal disease or personal illness or where insufficient quota was available in the applicant's co-operative-dairy; younger dairy farmers with small milk quotas; producers whose butter fat representative levels are very low; and producers who are in financial difficulty.
In assessing these applications, the tribunal takes account of the following factors: current quota size; off-farm income and-or other farm enterprises; size of holding; family circumstances, including succession; commitment to dairying; previous allocations from the national reserve. The milk quota appeals tribunal also considers applications for temporary allocations to producers who encounter quota difficulties due to animal disease restrictions. Furthermore, in 2001 the tribunal also examined more than 3,500 applications from producers affected by the foot and mouth disease restrictions, and allocated 34 million litres under this scheme.
The closing date for receipt of applications to the tribunal for the 2001-02 quota year was 18 January, 2002. Details and forms for the 2002-03 milk quota year will be published early in the new quota year.