Measures adopted by the Council of Agriculture Ministers in October 1996 obliged member states to introduce an early marketing premium scheme for veal calves or the calf processing scheme. As Ireland has no veal industry we are obliged under Council Regulation (EC) No. 2222/96 to introduce the calf processing premium scheme. The scheme is effective from 1 December 1996 to 30 November 1998.
The objective of the early marketing premium for veal calves and the calf processing premium is to reduce by one million per annum the number of calves available for beef production within the EU. There is no target set per member state as regards the number of calves to be removed through these two schemes.