Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 567: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the ownership of Irish sugar beet quota has been determined; the identity of the owner of the quota; if this issue has not been resolved, the reason for the delay; when a decision will be reached; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22804/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the EU sugar regime, each member state has a quota for manufactured sugar. There is no quota for sugar beet. The EU regulations stipulate that the quota must be made available to the sugar manufacturing enterprises in the member state. Accordingly, in Ireland the entire sugar quota is processed by Irish Sugar Limited, which is the only sugar manufacturer here. Irish Sugar Limited places annual contracts with farmers to grow a specific tonnage of sugar beet sufficient to manufacture the sugar quota.

Ownership of the sugar quota had never been an issue in the past because the relevant EU regulations do not provide for the buying and selling of quota. Speculation about quota ownership only arose when the Commission, in July of last year, raised the possibility of cross-border quota mobility, in the context of its initial thinking on reform of the EU sugar regime. Several member states, including Ireland, voiced strong opposition to the idea of cross-border quota mobility and I am pleased to say that it does not form part of the Commission's legislative proposals for sugar reform which were published last week. However, I had already asked the Attorney General to examine the quota ownership issue. I am not aware of when this examination will be completed but I will, of course, be guided by the Attorney General on any legal issues relating to the quota that emerge in the course of the forthcoming negotiations on the Commission's proposals.