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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 3 Dec 1998

Vol. 497 No. 7

Written Answers - Sheep Prices.

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

120 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the action, if any, he will take with the lamb processing factories in respect of their reported practice of using up to 20,000 head of lambs per week from Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom to back up supplies of Irish lamb which in turn impacts negatively on domestic lamb prices. [26156/98]

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

123 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the progress, if any, he has made at European level in securing a fairer sys tem of ewe premium compensation for Irish sheep farmers, the introduction of extensification premium for sheep and an increase in the rural world premium. [26159/98]

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

124 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on whether there is a severe income crisis on lowland sheep farms in view of the lamb prices of 80p per pound or £30 per lamb; and the action, if any, he will take to alleviate this problem. [26160/98]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 120, 123 and 124 together.

The position as regards lamb imports is that as a member of the European Union, Ireland is part of a free trade area in which it is not possible to legally prohibit, restrict or inhibit the trade of lambs from another member state. Imported ani mals must be accompanied by appropriate health certification. Under bilateral arrangements trade to and from Northern Ireland does not, however, require health certification.

All sheep presented for slaughter at an export approved plant are subject to the supervision and control of the Department veterinary office staff. I have satisfied myself that the veterinary inspec torate at the plants are fully discharging their responsibilities in this regard and that all the legal requirements regarding the health status and freedom from disease of these animals are being met.

As well as being a significant exporter of beef and dairy products, Ireland exports three out of every four lambs produced in this country. There fore, it would not be in our long-term interest to attempt to impose any unilateral measures to restrict trade in any agricultural commodity. At the same time, experience has shown the need for, and the value of, long-term supply arrange ments between producers and processors where emphasis on regular supply and quality of prod uct should be of benefit to the sector as a whole.

As regards the question of extensification pre mia, I have made strong representations on a number of occasions to the EU Commission for the introduction of an extensification premium in the sheepmeat sector. However, the Commission has not accepted such a proposal on the grounds that the rural world premium, which was intro duced in the context of the 1992 CAP reform package, is of major benefit to the majority of extensive producers in the Union. Neither have they agreed to the exclusion of sheep from the calculation of stocking density for the extens ification premium. The Commission argues that to do so would introduce a new inequity between beef producers who also rear sheep and pro ducers who rear cattle only.
I intend to continue to press the Commission on this issue and on the question of increased rural world premium and a fairer ewe premium scheme in the context of the current discussions on Agenda 2000.
I am disappointed at the low level of sheep prices this autumn. However, lowland lambs are mainly put on the market between May and Sep tember and this year satisfactory lamb prices were available in this period. About 58 per cent of lambs were slaughtered during these months at prices averaging between 186 pence and 272p per pound. When prices began to drop to their present levels the bulk of lowland lambs had been sold. The lower prices later in the year mainly affected hill sheep producers. The ewe premium is expected to be significantly higher in 1998 than in 1997 and this should help alleviate some of the difficulties on all farms, including those involved in lowland sheep production.
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