Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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325. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the options available in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork who applied to the milk quota appeals tribunal, as there were restrictions placed on the herd because of animal disease problems, and was refused. [11121/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The named person was an applicant under my Department’s recent Animal Disease Scheme.

This Scheme involves the allocation of milk quota, from the National Reserve, to milk producers who have incurred milk quota difficulties as a direct result of animal movement restrictions caused by an animal disease outbreak.

Quota allocations are granted on the basis of recommendations made by an independent Milk Quota Appeals Tribunal. The tribunal make their recommendations on the basis of the information provided by the applicant, the timing and duration of the restriction, and the producer’s historic quota management performance.

As a result of the assessment process, which took place in January 2015, the entire pool of quota assigned for distribution under this scheme was utilised. The Department subsequently sought to identify any additional quota that might become available for further distribution to animal disease applicants. However, because of the national quota position and the resultant high level of demand on the National Reserve, there will be no additional quota available for distribution.

Accordingly it will not be possible to operate an appeals process on this occasion.

The named person may be entitled to some additional quota under flexi-milk scheme. Details of any such allocations will be available from his milk purchaser at a later date.