asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is aware of the danger of a decrease again in the pig population; and the plans his Department have to avert such an undesirable trend.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pig Population.
21.
Pig numbers have been increasing since about mid-1975 and the latest pig enumeration, at August 1976, showed an increase in pig numbers of 18 per cent over August, 1975. However, it would appear that the rate of expansion has slowed down and that production in the coming months will show only a modest increase over current levels.
In the free market conditions of the EEC, we are bound to have fluctuations in production and in margins of profitability. I am of the opinion that fluctuations in production will be less severe than they were in the past because the larger pig producers realise that it is in their best interests to maintain a steady level of production.
Have the Minister's Department any plans at all to monitor even the price of feeding stuffs and so on, which are getting very much out of hand? Is the Minister further aware that there are many people who state now they will be out of business in four months?
Feeding stuff prices are mentioned on a continuous basis. There is very little the Department can do about the level of prices in the feeding stuffs industry.
Is the Minister considering asking the Minister for Industry and Commerce to control prices?
No.
Why?
None of the farming organisations wants this because they believe that the best way to keep prices at their lowest is to have competition, particularly when there are co-ops in the business—effective competition keeps it lower than it would be otherwise.
It is not working that way.
That is the effect it had when control was removed.
I take it from the Minister's reply that he is afraid the pig situation may deteriorate but not as drastically as before. It was a disaster before. Would the Minister not agree that the case I have been making for some time for a balancing fund may be needed in the pig industry in the near future?
Some type of what, Deputy?
A balancing fund to be created to meet the situation that may arise in the pig industry in the near future.
What the Deputy is looking for is a pool of money that would be available at a time when prices would be low. If that pool of money is not subscribed by the industry itself, it is hard to expect that in any business the Exchequer and the taxpayer will take care of people when prices go a bit low.
I always felt it should be subscribed to by the complete industry.
I spoke to the industry about it and they would not wear it.