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Milk Quota Cessation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 January 2014

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

Questions (691)

Seamus Kirk

Question:

691. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is considering the potential for transitional arrangements to the milk quota post-2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1661/14]

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Written answers

The 2008 CAP ‘Health Check’ provided for the abolition of milk quotas in April 2015, with the transition eased by increasing quota for all Member States in the remaining years. However, these increased quotas have proven insufficient to accommodate increases in milk production in Ireland – driven mainly by supply and demand dynamics.

As a result I have, over the last number of years, been extremely active in seeking to secure a more appropriate soft landing for Member States in the lead-up to April 2015. I have discussed the matter extensively with other EU Agriculture Ministers, including bilateral meetings with my Danish, French, German, Estonian and Finnish counterparts. Furthermore, officials from my Department have raised this issue at EU level meetings and at bi-lateral meetings with other Member States.

However the Commission has, to date, resisted all attempts to reconsider this issue, and in the two Reports published by it on the operation of the soft landing it has concluded that there is no need for further intervention.

This view is supported by a number of Member States, some of whom are firmly against any further adjustment to the Health Check agreement. It is also the case that only a minority of Member States are adversely affected by the current quota restrictions and therefore persuading a qualified majority to agree to an adjustment of the current regime represents a significant challenge.

Given that there are no signs of a breakthrough in this regard I am reminding farmers that it remains critically important that they continue to have regard to the quota system in managing their enterprises until the expiry of the milk quota regime on the 31 March 2015.

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