John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 295: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the measures she plans to submit to the European Commission as a result of its proposal to co-finance 50% of the cost of market support measures in the egg and poultry sector; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the EU proposal is expected to be adopted by the end of April; if she would agree that the egg and poultry sector is currently experiencing adverse marketing conditions and urgently requires support measures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14153/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The position in regard to market support measures for the poultry sector is that the EU Commission has proposed a Council regulation that would provide a legal basis for such measures. This proposal will be considered by the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 25 April 2006. If adopted, the regulation will only contain an enabling provision of a general nature. It will then be necessary for the Commission to draw up a subsidiary regulation which would set out the types of measures that member states could propose to be brought into effect. This latter regulation cannot be adopted until after the Council meeting. Following adoption of this subsidiary regulation it will be necessary for member states, if they so wish, to submit proposals for support schemes to the Commission for consideration and approval.

I have already written to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Ms Mariann Fisher Boel, outlining some of the measures I consider would be useful to have available to member states. The Commission will also be considering suggestions put forward by member states with a view to drafting the subsidiary regulation referred to above and I will be putting forward suggestions in this context also. The Commission has made it clear that its request for suggestions must not be interpreted as a commitment to co-funding. The Commission must have regard to budgetary considerations and to the importance of not creating imbalances in competitiveness between member states.

I am interested in having a broad-ranging regulation that would accommodate various market options that exist or might emerge in the future and that would be sufficiently versatile to be useful to all member states. Useful measures would include aids to private storage, purchase for disposal of non-saleable stocks of poultry meat and measures to encourage reductions in throughput.

What measures, if any, would actually be utilised in different countries would depend on the market situation and prospects at the time, the evolution of the avian influenza situation and the segments of the industry that were affected by the situation. This will also be the case in Ireland. The poultry industry generally is experiencing difficulties and the need for support measures is under continuous review in my Department in the context of the evolving situation here and the developments at EU level as already set out.