Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 65: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the action she is taking to address the SBP overshoot; if there is a legal entitlement to recoup an overshoot in the 21 month premium; the discussions she has had with the EU Commission regarding the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17292/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am seeking a solution to the problem of the special beef premium overshoot and will continue to do so with the European Commissioner. I have already raised the issue with the Commissioner on a number of occasions. My Department has also forwarded a detailed submission to the European Commission dealing with this matter. I am urging that appropriate measures be taken to alleviate the difficulties encountered by beef farmers in Ireland, directly as a result of the ending of the special beef premium scheme in 2004. I will continue to press the EU Commission for an acceptable solution to this issue.

Each member state has a regional beef ceiling for bull/1st age premium animals and Ireland's regional ceiling for the 2004 special beef premium scheme was 1,077,458 animals. Under the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999, where the quota is breached in respect of the bull/1st age category, the overshoot reduction must also be applied to the 2nd age category animals.