I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 131 together.
In order to qualify for payment of the special beef premium, applicants are required, to submit their cattle identity cards to my Department's special beef premium unit which was set up in June of this year especially to operate this scheme. This unit is now operating from Portlaoise. A total of 84,000 applications, covering over half a million animals, was received for the June-July application period. Applicants were required by EC regulations to retain the animals in question on their holdings for a minimum period of 2 months from the time my Department received the applications.