I move:
Go ndeontar suim bhreise ná raghaidh thar £484,058 chun íoctha an mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh Márta, 1942, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí Oifig an Aire Talmhaidheachta agus Seirbhísí áirithe atá fé riaradh na hOifige sin maraon le hIldeontaisí-i-gCabhair.
That a supplementary sum, not exceeding £484,058, be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending 31st March, 1942, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Agriculture, and of certain Services administered by that Office, including sundry Grants-in-Aid.
The Estimate is for a net amount of £484,058. The greater part of this is required under sub-head N (1) which I can deal with first. It is for the expenses arising out of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, and it is for £463,972. The main item of that sub-head is £365,000 for compensation to owners of stocklands. The Estimates for the financial year 1941-42 were prepared before the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease took place, although that occurred before the financial year commenced. There was only provision in the Estimates for £5 for compensation which is put in each year as a Token Vote in case something should arise. The total number of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease here was 556. The last outbreak occurred in County Carlow on the 22nd September. The number of animals slaughtered was 27,895 cattle, 9,797 sheep, 3,201 pigs and 608 goats. The total amount of liability by way of compensation for these animals is approximately £451,000. £87,000 was paid during the last financial year. The balance of £363,750 will fall on this year's Vote. But as all claims have not yet been finally disposed of a small margin is required for possible adjustments and the sum of £365,000 has been put into the Estimate.
It was found possible to salvage a number of the healthy animals in contact with farms on which outbreaks had occurred. The numbers salvaged were: cattle, 3,570; sheep, 774; pigs, 455, and goats, 5. They were disposed of principally to the Dublin Emergency Meat Supply Committee, the Canning Supply Committee and Roscrea Meat Products, Limited. The net proceeds of the sale of these animals was approximately £38,960. Portion of this was received in the last financial year, but the balance received in this year is £27,515 and it is brought into this Supplementary Estimate as an Appropriation-in-Aid, so that the total cost of compensating owners of animals is reduced by these salvage receipts from £451,000 to £412,000.
The other principal items under sub-head N (1) include fees to temporary veterinary inspectors, £5,320; fees to valuer of animals slaughtered, £2,000; remuneration of temporary lay assist ants, £65,500; fees to local veterinary practitioners, £3,000; travelling expenses, £5,300, and miscellaneous expenses, £15,500. Deputies are aware, I am sure, what I mean by temporary lay assistants. They were mostly Local Security Force recruited locally to help the Gárda Síochána in keeping guard on the affected areas.
Miscellaneous expenses are made up of two principal items (1) recoupment to local authorities for services rendered and materials supplied, particularly in connection with the burying of carcases, disinfection of premises, etc., which cost about £10,000, and (2) purchase of disinfectants, rent of local office accommodation, hire of lorries, etc., which cost about £5,500.
Under sub-head B—Travelling Expenses—an additional sum of £20,000 is required, in consequence of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease also, for the travelling expenses of the regular veterinary staff, administrative officers of the Department, etc. In respect of sub-head I (1)—Special Agricultural Schemes in Congested Districts—an additional sum of £4,000 is required. Owing again to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the number of bulls which in ordinary circumstances would have been purchased and paid for before 31st March last had to be purchased and paid for in the current financial year, with the result that the balance left out of a provision of £9,000 made in this year's Estimate will not be sufficient to buy the usual number of bulls next spring. With regard to sub-head M (1)—Miscellaneous Work—a sum of £6,500 has already been granted this year for advertising and publicity. An additional sum of £13,500 is required— £8,000 for the food production campaign, £4,000 for foot-and-mouth disease advertisements, which have already been issued, of course, and £1,500 for general advertisements.
There is a sum of £5 under sub-head O (6)—Agricultural Produce (Cereals) Acts. This is a token provision in respect of the guarantee given to seed merchants to purchase unsold stocks of home-grown wheat of spring varieties assembled for sale in the coming season. The commitment involved in giving this guarantee is estimated not to exceed £5,000. It is not expected that any expenditure will arise in this financial year. The token provision is inserted in order to bring the arrangement to the notice of the Dáil. The conditions of the agreement with the seed merchants are (1) each participating merchant is to assemble a quota of home-grown wheat of spring varieties to be determined in agreement with the Minister for Agriculture, the agreed quota not to be increased without the prior approval of the Minister and (2) the maximum price at which home-grown wheat of spring varieties may be sold to be 62/6 per barrel of 20-stone, net cash, f.o.r., bags excluded. At an agreed date after the close of the sowing season, the Minister for Agriculture is to take over from the participating merchant at 50/- per barrel of 20-stone f.o.r., bags excluded, unsold stocks of home-grown wheat of spring varieties subject to a maximum of 25 per cent. of the participating merchant's agreed quota, or the quantity actually assembled by him, whichever is the lesser.
With regard to sub-head O (8)— Acquisition of Land (Allotments) Act— the number of allotments of one-eighth of an acre let to unemployed persons for whom seeds, manures, etc., were provided this season was 21,595 and the cost is estimated at £44,000. The figures in the seasons 1939-40 were 4,846 and 8,976 respectively. A sum of £20,500 has already been granted this year and in consequence of the large increase in the number of allotments, a further sum of £23,500 is required. With regard to sub-head O 10—Flax Act—the purchase of flax seed up to a total value of approximately £27,000, which had to be imported for the 1940 sowing season, and the subsequent sale of this seed to distributors at prices fixed by the Department were financed and carried out on behalf of the Department by a cooperative society. The sum of £700 is the approximate amount which, it is estimated, will be payable to the society in respect of its services. This sum represents approximately the amount by which the total proceeds of the sales by the society of the flax seed in question to distributors at prices fixed by the Department falls below the actual expenses of the society in purchasing the flax seed and subsequently selling it to distributors at prices fixed by the Department. I should add that the expenses referred to include a commission in respect of the society's services at the rate of 3 per cent. on the purchase price of the flax seed.
The sum of £3,700 under sub-head O 13 is required for the expenses of the Cereals Distribution Committee. This committee was established under Article 14 of the Emergency Power (Cereals) Order, 1941. It comprises 12 members representative of the various interests concerned in the distribution and use of barley and oats. The functions of the committee are (1) to advise the Minister for Agriculture on matters relating to the assembling and distribution of the oats and barley crops of the harvest of 1941, and (2) to act as the Minister's agent in giving directions for the disposal of oats and barley purchased by holders of oats and barley dealers' licences. A fee of 6d. per ton, payable by the persons to whom grain is distributed, is charged in respect of the services of the committee.
The committee will pay over to the Department these fees which are estimated to amount to £3,500. Under sub-head P — Appropriations-in-Aid— there is a receipt of £5,550 in respect of the Dairy Produce Acts and Dairy Produce (Price Stabilisation) Acts. In accordance with the Dairy Produce (Amendment) Act, 1941, an Act brought in early this year and passed in June, fees on the production of creamery butter for 1940-41 will be collected during the financial year 1941-42. In respect of sub-head O 14—Emergency Powers (Tillage) Order—there is a receipt of £1,922, representing the proceeds of the sale of crops on cultivated holdings and the expenses incidental to entry on holdings and the making of lettings in conacre. The amount in respect of cultivated crops was £1,780 and the expenses collected in respect of lettings in conacre and so on amounted to £142. Under sub-head N (1)—Diseases of Animals Acts—with which I have already dealt—there is a sum of £27,515 in respect of the salvage of carcases of animals slaughtered on account of foot-and-mouth disease.