asked the Minister for Agriculture if any recent steps have been taken by his Department to relieve the hardship on milk producers in the district of Miltown, Croagh, County Limerick, caused by the distance these producers are from the nearest creamery; and if he will issue the necessary licence for the construction of a new creamery, and have a vote of all bona fide producers in the district for the purpose of deciding to which of the neighbouring creameries they will send their supplies.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - New Creamery for Croagh, Limerick.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. The difficulty in this case is that the milk produced in the area is divided between several existing creameries. If one of these were to get the total supply the others would suffer a considerable loss. Voting on the lines suggested in the question has already taken place on two occasions. The results indicate that there is not amongst the farmers concerned such a strong volume of opinion in favour of any particular society as would justify the granting of the total milk supply to that society at the expense of the others. In the circumstances, there appears to be no alternative to continuing the present arrangements.