asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he will pay the Government fertiliser rebate on basic slag which offers lime content in addition to 40 per cent. phosphates at £6 7s. 6d. per ton as against super's 35/37 per cent. phosphates with no appreciable lime content at £6 12s. 9d. per ton.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Artificial Manures.
The question of extending the fertiliser scheme to basic slag was carefully considered when the scheme was being originally prepared two years ago, but it was decided to exclude this product—
(1) because of the fact that basic slag is not a standard commodity but varies in phosphatic content from 18 per cent. to 42 per cent.
(2) because of the administrative difficulties in arranging for the payment of a subsidy on basic slag and of ensuring that farmers would get the benefit of the subisdy.
The matter does not arise at present as there is only a relatively small quantity of basic slag in the country which was purchased at last season's prices and, unfortunately, the prospects of getting further supplies at any price are exceedingly remote.
In these circumstances it is not proposed to extend, the scheme to basic slag this season.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will give an estimate of the total requirements of various artificial manures for the coming year's crops, assuming ample supplies to be available.
From information at the disposal of my Department, it is estimated that the consumption of artificial manures under normal conditions in the 1939 season was approximately 200,000 tons of phosphatic manures, about 25,000 tons of nitrogenous manures and potassic manures equivalent to about 14,000 tons of muriate of potash, or a total of about 240,000 tons. It may be assumed that if ample supplies were available during the coming season a similar quantity of fertilisers would be required plus a quantity corresponding to possibly 500,000 acres of extra tillage as compared with 1939. On this basis a total of about 270,000 tons would be required.
In view of that, is the Minister going to do anything to try to recover the potassic manure available in the form of seaweed?
That is being examined.
The Minister is at it for 18 months. Surely he has come to some conclusion now?
The examination has not made the thing any more practicable. That is the difficulty.
Is the Minister stating that he cannot get any potassic manure at all from the seaweed thrown up on our shores?
Except at a very high cost.
Is it not late in the day that the Minister for Supplies is getting anxious about economic prices? There is not an industry in this country started by him that has shown anything like an economic price or that ever will.
Does the Minister appreciate that old tillage land invariably needs potash and that, if potash is not available, it scarcely can produce a decent crop?
For certain crops it difficult.
asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that the inadequate supplies of artificial manures in several of our leading tillage counties last year resulted in inferior crops, and if he will state what steps he proposes to take to distribute the available supply of artificial manures so that old tillage land deficient in humus matter may not suffer in consequence of the Minister's policy of breaking up old grass land which would normally have ample reserves of plant food.
As regards the first part of the question, reasonable supplies of phosphatic manures and ample supplies of nitrogenous and potassic manures were available last season and I do not agree that the position was as the Deputy now states it.
As regards the second part of the question, it is proposed to discourage the use on grass lands of superphosphate and compound manures containing superphosphate by restricting distribution until the approach of the cropping season when the fertilisers manufacturers will allocate available supplies to retailers on the basis of distribution in previous years. This arrangement will ensure that tillage counties will get their due quota.
Does the Minister appreciate the fact that with a scarcity of manure the tendency of the merchants will be to sell for cash? In old tillage districts where a man has to buy on credit and where cash is not available, how does the Minister propose to safeguard him so that he will get at least some supply?
I think the basis on which it is being distributed is the fairest, and that the retailers will not let down their old customers, if they have been supplying them year after year on credit and getting paid after the harvest.
Has the Minister given any direction to manure merchants in that respect or does he propose to do so?
If it is necessary, we will get the manure distributors to distribute on a proportionate basis to retailers, but we hope that it will not be necessary to do so—that they may have enough.
Will the Minister give that direction?
Yes, certainly, if it is necessary.
Mr. Brennan
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state whether, in view of his Emergency Powers (No. 53) Order, 1940, steps have been taken to ensure adequate supplies of artificial manure.
All practicable steps have been and are being taken in this matter.
Except in regard to potash.
Mr. Brennan
Will the Minister say what the practicable steps are? Might I further ask if the Minister thinks it is a practicable step that he has prevented a rape crop being recognised as tillage? Is the Minister aware that rape is being sold in a great many parts of the country in order to manure the land for a cereal crop? Is that one of the steps that the Minister is taking to ensure that plenty of manure will be available for the crops? If so, it shows that the Minister has no knowledge of the matter.
I have full knowledge of it.