Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will consider requesting Teagasc to establish a facility for land leasing or land exchange to help with the upscale and consolidation of the dairy industry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9806/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I have no plans to request Teagasc to establish a facility for land leasing or a land exchange to help with the upscale and consolidation of the dairy industry.

Under the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act 1988, the function of Teagasc is to provide research, training and advisory services for the agri-food sector. Moreover, the milk quota regulations restrict the establishment of new leases to very limited situations and I have no plans to alter those provisions.

However, I am considering other means of assisting with the consolidation of production and I believe the milk quota restructuring programme 2005-06, which I announced before Christmas, taken together with the decoupling of the dairy premium this year, will help bring about significant improvements in the structure of milk production.

Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Question 139: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will consider the feasibility of establishing a voluntary potato acreage growing control system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9807/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The alignment of supply with demand is essentially a market issue. I am aware that there is an over supply situation in the potato sector and this, combined with falling consumption due to changing eating habits, is giving rise to continuing downward pressure on prices.

The establishment of any voluntary scheme to control production is a matter for growers. In this context I would urge growers to listen to the message from the market place and to make their production decisions accordingly. It is essential that there is strong cohesion and co-operation among all those involved in production in order to ensure that the sector can grow and prosper.

For my part I am continuing to support the sector through the grant aid scheme for marketing and processing under the national development plan. Under this scheme a total of 17 projects were awarded grant aid amounting in total to €6.3 million in the last few months. In addition a €100,000 potato promotion programme has been submitted for approval to the European Commission and this will play an important role in encouraging increased consumption.