asked the Minister for Agriculture if any instructions have been issued by his Department to butter merchants in respect of the prices to be paid for home-produced butter as the result of the introduction of the Dairy Produce (Price Stabilisation) Bill, 1932, and, if so, if he will state what precisely these instructions are.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Price of Home Produced Butter.
No instructions of the kind indicated have been issued by the Department.
Is the Minister aware that in my constituency in West Cork home producers of butter have been docked 2d. per lb. in the price and it has been stated by the merchants that this is due to the introduction of the Butter Bill? Would the Minister not consider it necessary to issue instructions to the butter merchants indicating that they are not supposed to exploit the home producers?
I am aware that butter merchants stated their price was a certain figure and they instructed their buyers to deduct 2d. for the levy. I think it was another way of putting it to the producers that the price of butter was down by 2d. per lb. I could not, I am afraid, instruct the butter merchants to give a better price for the butter.
Would the Minister undertake to instruct the butter buyers as to the object of the Bill?
I am afraid I could not.