asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that the new Compulsory Tillage Order will inflict great hardship on smallholders the areas of whose holdings are less than ten acres in extent; whether he is aware that many such smallholders have only one field capable of being tilled, and that if the Order is enforced in their case it will have the effect of forcing them to sell an only cow; whether, having regard to the deleterious effect of the Order on the poorer section of the farming community, he will revert to the practice of making these Orders applicable only where the area affected is not less than ten acres in extent.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - New Compulsory Tillage Order.
I do not consider that the new Compulsory Tillage Order will inflict great hardship on smallholders whose holdings are less than ten acres in extent. For the purposes of the Order the term "holding" refers to an occupier's arable land only. It is probable that many of the smallholders whom the Deputy has in mind will not come under the provisions of the Order as their arable land comprises less than five statute acres. The majority of occupiers who hold from five to ten acres of arable land are in the habit of cultivating it to the extent of at least 25 per cent. but there are some who make little or no effort to cultivate their lands and the object of the new provision is to compel them to make a reasonable contribution to the country's food requirements.