asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the total amount of milk held to date in the national milk reserve; and if he will give details of the distribution of same.
Written Answers. - National Milk Reserve.
106.
I presume the Deputy is referring to the reserve set up by the clawback on quotas transferring where land is being sold or leased. On the basis of returns supplied to my Department by milk purchasers the reserve at present amounts to about 120,000 gallons, many of the sale or leasing transactions having been carried out by small or medium size farmers who are exempt from clawback.
It is my intention to assess towards the end of the present super-levy year, taking account of the quantities then available in the reserve and of any relevant recommendations from the milk quota review group, the desirable timing of distribution and the allocation of the reserve.