Farmers who were forced to cut milk production because their herds were hit by animal disease between 1978-1980 are to share an allocation of 32 million litres of additional milk quota.
The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, said yesterday he was allocating the milk to small and medium-scale producers who had suffered a loss of 10 per cent or more of their dairy herds in the two-year period.
Others who will benefit are those who were following a development plan under the farm modernisation scheme or the reduced interest scheme.
Mr Walsh said the average allocation would be in the region of 3,500 gallons (16,500 litres) but they would range widely with a few as high as 20,000 gallons (90,000 litres).
The allocations will be available for use this milk year. The additional quota has come from the extra allocation to Ireland as part of the Agenda 2000 agreement which was concluded in 2001.