Vol. 537 No. 1
80 Mr. M. Ahern asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if there are any circumstances whereby the closing dates for participation in the milk leasing scheme, which is at present 1 June 2001, and the restructuring scheme, which is at present 30 June 2001, may be extended. [15355/01]
It is important that the restructuring and temporary leasing schemes be completed as soon as possible in order to ensure that the producers who acquire the quota under these schemes can fully and efficiently utilise the acquired quota within the current milk quota year. Therefore, I have fixed the closing date for the restructuring scheme and the temporary leasing scheme for 30 June 2001 and 31 July 2001 respectively and I have no proposals to depart from these dates. Co-operatives may fix earlier deadlines if it suits the particular needs of their suppliers. The dates in both cases were chosen on the basis of advice given to me by the milk quota review group which comprises representatives from all interested parties.
