asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware that over 12,000 tons of millers' offals have been exported from the Irish Free State for the past six months, at a price approximately 5 per cent. below that charged to Irish consumers, and if, in view of the necessity of providing farmers of the Irish Free State with cheap feeding for their stock, he will take the necessary steps to prevent any further export of these valuable feeding stuffs.
Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - Export of Offals.
Dr. Ryan
I am aware of the exports referred to, and if at any time I am satisfied that there is necessity for such action, having regard to the possible reactions arising therefrom, I will consider favourably the question of making an order prohibiting the export of wheat offals save under licence.
In the question as on the Order Paper, I am represented as inquiring whether offals have been exported at a price approximately 5 per cent. below that charged to Irish consumers. That should be 50 per cent. below the retail price charged to Irish consumers. The Minister will remember that the great object of the Cereals Bill was to give cheap food-stuffs to the Irish farmers. In face of that, I think the Minister should do everything possible not only to discourage the export of these food-stuffs but to prohibit them, so that they would be available at the present time when the Irish farmer needs cheap food-stuffs so badly. The Minister is aware that pollards went up from £3 15s. 0d. to £6.
Dr. Ryan
The Deputy is entirely wrong in his figure of 50 per cent. or even 5 per cent. I have here in the "Farmer and Stockbreeder" the official prices on the exchanges in England. In Liverpool, middlings were from 5/6 to 6/- a cwt.; bran, from 5/9 to 6/-. In Bristol, middlings were 5/9; bran, 6/3, and straight-run bran 5/7½. The average price of pollards and brans was from £5 10s. 0d. to £6 per ton at the exchange. But that is not the price at which the farmer gets them. Here, as I mentioned before, I have the latest quotation for pollard and bran delivered to my own house and it is £5 per ton. It is quite obvious that bran and pollard are selling much more cheaply in this country than in England at present.
I merely wanted to point out the export price of pollard and bran from here. For bran, the price was 4/3 per cwt. and for pollard 3/- odd. I got the figures from your statistics department and I shall produce them later—that is, the prices at which they were sold to Northern Ireland.
Dr. Ryan
If the Deputy buys a boatload from one of the millers, he will get them at that price too.
Does the Saorstát Minister for Agriculture not differentiate between English middlings and pollard as delivered from our mills? Secondly, will the Minister not consider the taking of a middle course, at least, and, while allowing the continued export of red pollard and bran, prohibit the export of white pollard and bran?
Dr. Ryan
Why does the Deputy differentiate between white and red? Why stop one and allow the other?
On a supplementary question, it is scarcely relevant to discuss the technicalities of the milling trade. If the Ceann Comhairle will allow me, I shall be very glad to engage in a discussion with the Minister on that question.
To do so would be out of order.