Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 315: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the situation regarding the suckler quota of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7500/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named is a participant in the early retirement scheme for farmers since 1997 and has leased out his suckler cow quota for the past eight years. Under the quota regime rules, farmers who were not participating in the early retirement scheme were only permitted to lease out their quota for a maximum of three years. Following the three-year period they were obliged to use it or sell it otherwise it would have been lost to the national reserve. While the person named had the option of selling his quota at anytime during the past eight years, he chose to continue leasing it instead.

Following the introduction of the single payment scheme from 1 January 2005, all livestock premia and arable aid schemes are fully decoupled from production as and from that date. Accordingly, the quota regime in respect of the livestock premia schemes ceased to be in existence from 31 December 2004. Consequently, quotas including individual suckler cow and ewe premium quotas no longer exist for any farmer, including the person named, after that date and will not be required to ensure payment of the single payment scheme in the future.