Vol. 435 No. 1
12 Mr. Cox asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry his views on the recommendations in the Clare Leader group report on strategy for retaining the maximum number of milk suppliers in Clare as a blueprint for the future of dairying in the west of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am in broad sympathy with the recommendations of the Clare Leader group report. Priority treatment of small-milk quota holders, which is central to the report, is a guiding principle of the various quota schemes which are in place — temporary leasing, restructuring and flexi-milk — and of course the arrangements for the distribution of 5.3 million gallons of quota which I have recently announced.
Also, assistance for on-farm capital investment designed to comply with the structural standards specified in EC Directive 92/46 have been included in the National Development Plan 1994-99; while details of eligibility have not yet been decided, it is my intention that the scheme should be biased in favour of small-scale producers.
Finally, I would add that the challenge to maintain viable dairy farms rests not only with Government agencies but also wth the industry itself and the co-operatives and other organisations of which milk producers are members.
