Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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501. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider extending the deadline for completion of works under the sow welfare scheme beyond the 30 September 2013 in view of the difficulties facing farmers in meeting this deadline due to the ongoing inclement weather; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22214/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The deadline of end-September 2013 for completion of work under the TAMS Sow Welfare Scheme forms part of the EU conditions of approval for the Scheme. The original deadline for completion of work under the Scheme was 31 December 2012 and EU Commission approval was required for the extension of that date to end-September 2013.

As the new EU animal welfare rules for the sector have been in force since 1 January 2013, I have no plans to seek the EU Commission’s approval to further extend the deadline for completion of works under the Scheme.