Vol. 527 No. 4
121 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development whether the State and his Department retain control over the ownership, management or re-allocation of the national sugar beet quota; whether a public limited company and the Irish Farmers' Association now have exclusive powers in this regard; and whether this excludes new entrants to the industry. [28825/00]
Under the EU market organisation for sugar each member state has a national sugar quota in respect of manufactured sugar. Ireland's quota is 196,121 tonnes comprising A quota of 178,292 tonnes and B quota of 17,829 tonnes. There is no quota at farm level nor is there a quota for sugar beet.
Each member state is required to allocate its quota to the sugar manufacturing concerns on its
territory. In Ireland's case the quota is allocated to Irish Sugar plc., the only manufacturer of sugar in the State. Contracts are agreed between the company and farmers to grow sufficient sugar beet to allow for the production of the sugar quota. I have no function in relation to the placing of these contracts.
