asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will vary his directions in regard to the sale and purchase of home-grown grain to enable feeders of cattle to buy oats and barley from their neighbours to feed their live stock and fertilise their land for future tillage.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Feeding of Cattle.
The Emergency Powers (Cereals) Order, 1942, does not prevent farmers from buying oats from their neighbours for feeding their live stock, but it prohibits the purchase of barley for this purpose. In view of other essential barley requirements I cannot at present see my way to modify the Order in this respect.
Is the Minister aware that in the county that he and I represent a farmer tilled 40 per cent. of his land with wheat and oats, bought some barley and mixed it through the oats to help him to feed his stall-fed cattle and pigs, and that the barley and oats were confiscated?
That is happening in some cases, yes.
Is that not worse than Balfour's coercion?
Is the Minister aware that there is a good deal of wet barley, a good deal of damaged barley, which, when it is threshed, should be sent immediately to the mill to be kiln-dried, but that the mills refuse to accept it on account of this Order? Some arrangement should be made to get that damaged barley converted into animal feeding stuffs.
There is no prohibition on the farmer getting his own barley dried for his own use.
The mills refuse to take the barley. They will not have anything to do with it. They say that there is an Order by the Minister prohibiting them from accepting any barley.
No; they are not right in that.