Vol. 472 No. 4
62 Miss Harney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the plans, if any, he has to review the operation of the current EU quota system for milk; if any analysis of alternatives to the current system has been undertaken by his Department; if so, the result of such analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23374/96]
The existing milk quota regime was reviewed at EU level in 1992 when the Council of Agriculture Ministers agreed that it should be extended to 1 April 2000.
The European Commission has indicated that a review of both quota and price policies in the dairy sector will begin in 1997 and I have pressed the Commission to come forward with their proposals as early as possible. As part of the preparation for this, I invited a representative group from the dairy sector and the academic world to work with my Department in reviewing the relevant longer-term issues and the range of options likely to best suit Irish conditions. The work of this group is ongoing.
