asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state why he has refused to give a permit to several southern seed merchants to import Scotch seed oats this season; if he will state why a preference in this activity is granted to pedigree seed sowers who do not grow the seeds they sell, and who have little contact with southern agricultural interests; and further, if he will state why he has adopted the policy of giving this preferential treatment to this newly-established organisation over old-established firms in Cork and other southern counties.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Scotch Seed Oats.
In view of the large number of applications received in my Department for licences to import the limited quantity of seed oats available for export from Scotland this year, it was found to be impossible to allocate import licences to all applicants and at the same time to ensure that the full export quota would be purchased and uniformly distributed throughout the country. It was decided, therefore, that the total allocation should be imported by one firm and distributed by that firm to merchants selected in each county by the respective county committees of agriculture.
Pedigree Seed Growers, Limited, who are engaged in the work of propagating pedigree seed oats by agreement with my Department, were accordingly nominated to purchase the total allocation of seed oats available for export to this country. The company will not receive preferential treatment in the allocation of supplies.
Will the Minister say if it is now the policy of the Government to prevent private enterprise from operating and to encourage a quasi-State institution like Pedigree Seed Growers, Limited, to operate as a monopoly?
I think the Deputy is assuming a whole lot.
I am not assuming anything. That is what has happened.
Is it not obvious that the Government are only too anxious to see first of all that the total amount of oats allocated by the British Government would be taken up and consequently that it would be taken up to the best advantage, so that you would not have, as there were, 2,000 people circularised here?
Would not that ensure an element of competition so far as the farmers are concerned?
It would and a very good thing too.
Will the Minister say whether private enterprise secured this seed in the first instance and were informed that they would not be permitted to import—that it was pedigree seed sowers were to import——?
It was secured by negotiations between the two Governments.
It was secured before that, by private enterprise.
The fact that the Deputy and possibly other customers, have been circularised in this country shows that it was a bid to get higher prices. In this way the farmer—and after all he is the man who matters—is going to get his seed oats cheaper and I do not think the Deputy should trouble himself about it.
I do not know of any cheap service that was given by pedigree seed sowers. The Minister knows very well that seed wheat was produced here at £3 and that it was sold back to the farmer at 96/-. Is there anything cheap about that?
The Deputy should know a little more about this matter before he talks. Pedigree seed sowers did not deal with that class of wheat. By using this method we will get it at the cheapest possible price and we will be able to give the farmer the best possible value. The merchants will have to accept the standard price.
Does the Minister not know that the price of Scotch oats is fixed at £25 per ton, f.o.b.? That is the standard price.
I should have mentioned that pedigree seed sowers are not charging any profit on oats.