Vol. 370 No. 3
asked the Minister for Agriculture if his Department has estimated the amount of savings it would be to the agricultural industry in time and also in herd and flock performance if he were to introduce the same system of checking on herds and flocks for payments under the EC livestock schemes as operates in Northern Ireland.
82.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of the system being operated in the UK for inspecting flocks for ewe premium payment; if he would consider introducing a similar system here; and the amount he expects his Department could save as a result.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 82 together.
I understand that checking systems in use in Northern Ireland and Britain for livestock grant purposes involve different levels of inspection which may reach 100 per cent of applicants' herds in the case of the calf premium scheme.
I do not propose to modify the checking system here because the inspection of all flocks and herds (combined with the use of composite application forms to reduce farm visits to a minimum) provides a safeguard against abuse of Exchequer and EC funds at a reasonable cost (less than 2½ per cent of the grants paid).
