Vol. 531 No. 3
177 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if the application to have the herd scheme for friesian bull calves reintroduced should include free martins of the same breed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5888/01]
The Commission's proposals for dealing with the difficulties on the key markets arising from BSE do not include the re-introduction of the calf processing scheme. However, I have suggested that the calf processing scheme which applied in the period 1996-98 and which included all breeds, including friesians, should be re-introduced in order to help reduce beef production in the medium term. The previous scheme applied to calves less than 20 days old and free martins were not eligible on age grounds under that measure.
