§ Miss Emma NicholsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what considerations underlay the payment of compensation under the over 30-month cattle disposal scheme at different prices through abattoirs and livestock markets. [28697]
§ Mr. BaldryThe scheme is essentially a live weight scheme and the level of compensation payable is based on live weight. In providing for the delivery of stock direct to abattoirs where facilities for weighing live are not common, we were constrained by the conclusions of the Agriculture Council of 1 to 3 April which implied that 1 ecu live weight was equivalent to 2 ecu dead weight. Throughout our discussions of this scheme in the beef management committee, some member states have insisted that EU funding should apply only to cull cows. It was not, therefore, possible to seek to negotiate a range of coefficients which reflect the different killing out percentages likely to be seen in practice.