Vol. 521 No. 6
72 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the number of dairy farmers who have submitted the dairy herd and hygiene certification; the number which are still outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17734/00]
The rules of the scheme for the animal health inspection of dairy cows require that milk suppliers furnish completed certificates to their milk purchasers and not to my Department. Accordingly, the Department does not have precise figures for the number so far returned or the number outstanding. The information available to my Department indicates that the level of returns varies considerably from one part of the country to another, with some milk purchasers reporting a level of about 30% while with others it was closer to 60%.
