Vol. 557 No. 2
168 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if an official from his Department will meet with a person (details supplied) in County Sligo to discuss an application for quota from the national reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21862/02]
The position with regard to the 2003 national reserve was that there were only some 1,500 suckler cow premium rights available for distribution. Since demand for reserve quota exceeded that figure, there were not enough rights available to satisfy all applicants. Consequently, quota had to be distributed in accordance with the priorities laid down by the Quota Review Group and EU regulations as follows: 5% of the reserve had to be reserved for Category B applicants – farmers with holdings on offshore islands; 10% of the reserve had to be reserved for Category C applicants – organic farmers; and the remaining quota was distributed to qualifying applicants under Category A – first time applicants under 35 years of age who, under EU rules, had to be given priority.
As a result there was no quota left to allocate to any applicant under Category D, farmers who required additional quota to ensure viability of their holding.
