asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will, in view of County Kerry being made a special TB status zone from 1 July 1983, give an assurance that he will allow the local veterinary surgeons in private practice to carry out these two tests per annum, as they have done so effectively in the past; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Discussions in relation to the special status zone are taking place with interested parties, and the manner in which a second round of testing in the zone will be carried out figures prominently in those discussions. No final decision has, however, been taken in this regard.

I thank the Minister for having Kerry designated as a special status zone for bovine TB testing. I am sure my question prompted the Minister to make a quick decision here. In view of the fact that Kerry has set a headline for the rest of the country and reduced the number of bovine TB cases from 10 per cent to .2 per cent due to the efforts of the veterinary surgeons who are in private practice in Kerry, I would seek an assurance from the Minister that he would allow them to do the two tests for this special area.

I am not sure if the incidence is as low as the Deputy stated. The objective of the scheme is to get it down to .2 per cent, but it is relatively low at the moment in Kerry. I have had discussions with the Irish veterinary union which included some representatives from Kerry. I have given them an assurance that that matter will be fully discussed with them before any decision is taken. I think they are reasonably happy about that.

Will the Department benefit by a grant of £4 million from the EEC in view of the fact that Kerry was made a special status zone?

I do not know about the apportionment of that grant, but if the scheme is to be carried out on such an extensive scale in Kerry then proportionately the Department will benefit.

Is it intended to include any other areas in this special status zone?

Yes, I have a special concern for Wexford, strangely enough, and it is being considered. We are thinking about it.

What about County Cork?

Well, we do not want to do a tour of the country. The south is the area we are concerned about most.