Michael Ring
Ceist:113 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo must destock under the culled ewe scheme. [25385/98]
Written Answers - Sheep Destocking.
Under the terms of the interim framework plan for commonages recently agreed between my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, all sheep farmers with mountain ewes who declared commonage land in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry on their 1998 area aid application are now required to reduce their mountain ewes by at least 30 per cent of their 1998 quota. As the person named has commonage on which his mountain sheep are maintained the terms of the destocking measure do apply in his case. It is possible that when the individual framework plans are drawn up, the person named will be allowed to carry sheep whereupon the 30 per cent of quota rights now being frozen can be returned to him.