Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 228: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will grant permission to a person (details supplied) to release their milk quota to a substitute transferee who meets all the conditions of the scheme; and if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the person who leased the milk quota for the past five years is no longer interested in releasing the quota. [9721/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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As a derogation from the general rule that new leases of land and quota cannot be established, the milk quota regulations provide that if a lessor is a participant in the early retirement scheme, a new lease of land and milk quota may be put in place if certain conditions are satisfied. The regulations state, however, that the milk quota shall not transfer to a new lessee unless the Minister is satisfied that the original lessee has reasonable cause not to renew the lease. In this regard, any failure to agree price is not considered to be reasonable cause. In processing each application for approval to establish new leases of land and quota, the Department of Agriculture and Food seeks observations from the former lessee. It is apparent from the documentation in this case that the former lessee has indicated he is willing to renew the lease of land and quota and so it is not appropriate to grant approval for the person named to enter into a lease agreement of land and quota to a new lessee.