Vol. 452 No. 8
206 Mr. Killeen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will seek changes in eligibility criteria to facilitate the transfer of dairy cows, which fail milk quality tests, to qualify for suckler premia. [8694/95]
A suckler cow is defined in the relevant EU Regulation as belonging to a meat breed or born of a cross with a meat breed and belonging to a herd intended for rearing calves for meat production. This definition was accepted as part of the 1992 CAP reform package and is designed to ensure that only genuine suckler cows qualify for the suckler cow premium. It is not my intention to seek a change in this definition.
