Vol. 552 No. 1
150 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason a person (details supplied) in County Sligo has not received additional milk quota from the milk quota appeals tribunal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11264/02]
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 and advise on applications for additional quota from individual producers who have suffered severe hardship in the context of the milk quota system. The person in question submitted an application for additional quota on the grounds of hardship and his application was examined by the tribunal. The tribunal did not, however, recommend an allocation of quota in this case and the person named has been notified of the outcome of his application. While every application to the tribunal is treated in a fair and sympathetic manner it has not been possible, within the constraints of the limited amount of quota available and the sizeable number of applications received, to meet the demands for quota from all applicants.
When considering applications 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 or dairy; younger dairy farmers with small milk quotas; producers whose butterfat 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; and previous allocations from the national reserve.
The person named may apply again when application forms for the 2002-03 milk quota year become available. The forms will be available from June 2002 from milk purchasers and from the milk policy division, Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
