asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the extent of the national herd in (a) 1986, (b) 1987 and (c) 1988; and if he will outline the proposals or incentives available to increase same.
Written Answers. - National Herd.
81.
The December 1988 livestock enumeration, published by the Central Statistics Office, gave the following figures for the national cattle herd:
|
Description |
December |
December |
December |
|
1986 |
1987 |
1988 |
|
|
Number (000) |
|||
|
(1) Cows — total |
1,897.2 |
1,864.3 |
1,921.9 |
|
(2) Heifers-in-calf |
248.4 |
252.0 |
292.8 |
|
(3) Bulls for breeding |
17.0 |
17.2 |
18.3 |
|
(4) Other cattle: |
|||
|
two years and upwards |
844.0 |
835.6 |
786.1 |
|
one year old and under two years |
1,270.0 |
1,278.6 |
1,280.2 |
|
under one year |
1,349.7 |
1,332.1 |
1,337.3 |
|
Total Cattle |
5,626.3 |
5,579.8 |
5,636.6 |
In the longer term, the supply of cattle is determined by the size of the national breeding herd. The year 1988 saw the first increase in the breeding herd since 1984 and figures for June 1989 show a further increase of some 64,000 head compared to June 1988. An attractive package of grants for beef cattle is available from my Department as follows:
Less-favoured Areas
Under the cattle headage scheme which applies in the most severely handicapped areas grants of £70 each are available on the first eight beef cows, and £66 on the next 22. The maximum grant payable is £2,012 on 30 cows. Under the beef cow scheme which applies in the less severely handicapped areas, beef cows can qualify for grants of £70 each on the first eight cows, and £66 on the next 20. The maximum grant payable is £1,880 on 28 cows.
All Areas
The EC Suckler Cow Scheme, which applies to the entire country, is worth £52.43 per cow per year and there is no limit on the number of cows which can qualify in any herd. A special beef premium of £34.96 per animal is payable on male animals over nine months of age, throughout the whole country. This premium is payable once in an animal's lifetime and there is a limit of 90 animals per farmer per year. These grants should underpin further expansion in the suckler herd.