Vol. 512 No. 5
28 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will make a statement on possible cutbacks in the supply of subsidised milk to disadvantaged schools arising from a recommendation made to the EU Commissioner, Mr. Franz Fischler; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26469/99]
The European Commission has proposed to reduce the allocation for the EU funded school milk scheme in the context of the FEOGA budget for 2000. At the Agricultural Council in June, I, along with most of my European counterparts, stressed the high nutritional value of milk and the importance of milk consumption by children and young people and requested the Commission to formulate proposals to encourage milk consumption in a cost-effective way.
