Vol. 558 No. 1
180 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the de-stocking requirement for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo can be recalculated in view of the fact that this person has over 650 acres of land and has been told to de-stock to 133 ewes. [23357/02]
The person named has had his ewe quota reduced from 352 to 219, a reduction of 133. This figure has been calculated correctly, taking into account the total area of his holding, his total stocking levels including cattle and the percentage destocking recommended in the framework plan for the commonage in question, which was 45.05%. The person named is a participant in REPS and qualifies for an annual payment of €11,360, which includes a substantial element of compensation for destocking on his commonage land.
All farmers with commonage who have received notification of the preliminary calculation of their ewe quota for 2003 have three options. They can accept the recalculation, have it reviewed by an agricultural consultant or opt out of using the commonage altogether. If they take the third option, their ewe quota will not be reduced.
