Donal Moynihan
Ceist:186 Mr. Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the up-to-date position regarding the application of a person (details supplied) in County Cork for an increase in suckler cow quota.
Written Answers. - Suckler Cow Quota Application.
The relevant EC Regulations provide for suckler cow premium quotas to be based on the number of suckler cows on which a producer was paid suckler cow premium under the 1992 suckler cow premium scheme and the person named will be granted a quota on that basis.
The EC Regulations also provide for the establishment of both a national reserve equal to between 1 per cent and 3 per cent of the sum of the individual quotas allocated to producers and special reserve equal to 1 per cent of the total of the individual quotas allocated to producers in the disadvantaged areas. As the applications for the suckler cow scheme were accepted up to the end of 1992 and as the retention period for the scheme is six months, it will not be possible for some time yet to indicate the total number of suckler cows which received the premium in 1992 and, therefore, to indicate the sizes of the reserves. When these reserves are established and the criteria for allocating quotas from them have been decided this person's application for an increase in suckler cow quota will be processed.