Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 Mar 2003

Vol. 562 No. 4

Written Answers - Grant Aid.

Pat Breen

Question:

189 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the funding available for livestock marts to upgrade facilities, for example, cattle trading and digital display systems, such as in a livestock mart (details supplied); the criteria and conditions under which grants can be drawn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6212/03]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The Livestock Marts Act (date and test and name and address of owner) regulations, 1997 – S.I. No 33 of 1997 – were introduced with effect from 3 February 1997. While these regulations required that details of sellers and test dates be publicly displayed, it did not specify the means by which such data was to be displayed.

As there were continued complaints from farmer representative bodies and others of difficulties on the part of potential purchasers in accessing such information and a wide disparity in the quality of display, further regulations were introduced, which require all livestock marts to electronically display the name and address of owner, date of test and seller status – that is, whether dealer – in respect of animals offered for sale. The Livestock Marts Act (Date and Test and Identification of Seller) regulations 2002 – S.I. No 188 of 2002 – came into operation on 1 July 2002 and replaced the 1997 regulations. The specific requirement for electronic display data has been introduced in the interests of ensuring greater transparency, and to provide clients with a uniform quality of service.

There is no provision for payment of grant aid or compensation from my Department in respect of the installation of such display units in livestock marts in this instance. Many marts are already compliant with the new requirement, others are in the process of bringing themselves into compliance and my Department is now following up the non-compliant marts on the question of their meeting their obligations in this regard. I am committed to ensuring that all marts are brought into compliance with the relevant legal requirements without delay.

While each mart has a legal obligation as a keeper of animals to notify cattle movement data, a range of incentives were made available when CMMS was introduced first to assist them in their notification obligations. The incentives included grant aid up to £9,000 for the installation of a mart computer system, payments for matching official herd numbers to each mart's client list and a once-off performance payment to encourage marts to transmit data in the first year of operation of CMMS. The Exchequer does not fund the ongoing costs of data notification. However, it does bear the cost of maintaining lines and computer equipment and it finances any software changes required to the marts own computer systems for CMMS.