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Suckler Cow Premium Scheme

11/06/2002

Suckler cow producers in Scotland will soon be able to register transfers and leases of quota to cover claims under the 2002 Suckler Cow Premium Scheme.

The notification period opens on Monday 17 June and will run until Friday 6 December 2002 enabling producers to obtain quota or dispose of any surplus quota for the 2002 Suckler Cow Premium Scheme which opens for premium applications on 1 July.

Producers will be able to notify transfers and leases of quota to the Department up until the date that the Department receives a premium claim from the recipient of the quota but this must be no later than the last day of the premium application period (6 December 2002). Producers wishing to acquire quota must remember not to submit their premium claim until after they have notified their quota transfer or lease.

Producers with more than seven units of quota should note that they must use at least 90 per centof their suckler cow quota in the 2002 scheme year otherwise the unused part will be withdrawn without compensation. However, producers with seven or fewer units of quota must use 90 per centof their quota every other year if they wish to avoid having quota withdrawn. To use quota in this context means either to claim premium on it or to lease it out.

Notification forms and explanatory leaflets for the transfer and lease of suckler cow quota for the 2002 Scheme year will be available at the Department's local area offices from 17 June. If producers wish to take advantage of these arrangements, it is their responsibility to obtain the form, complete it correctly and return it to the Department by the due date.

Notification forms SCP-Transfer-2002 for notifying transfers of quota and SCP-Lease-2002 for the temporary leasing of quota and an Explanatory Leaflet will be available from Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department local area offices from 17 June.

Producers may not dispose of quota by transfer or lease in the 2002 notification period if they received quota from the national reserve with effect from the 2001 or 2002 Scheme years.

It is the responsibility of the producers selling or leasing out quota to ensure that they have sufficient quota at their disposal to allow the transaction to take place. If for example they have not used all their quota in previous years, they should satisfy themselves that they will not be subject to a withdrawal of quota with effect from 2002 under the usage rules. This could lead to the transfer or lease being rejected.

Separate but similar arrangements are being made in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Page updated: Thursday, July 22, 2004