Dáil Éireann debate -
Friday, 27 Jun 1947

Vol. 107 No. 4

Committee on Finance. - Dairy Produce (Amendment) Bill, 1947—Second and Subsequent Stages.

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Smith)

I move that the Bill be now read a Second Time. The Dairy Produce Act, 1924, prescribes that the word "creamery" may be applied only to butter manufactured in a registered creamery or in a registered manufacturing exporter's premises in respect of which a licence to use the word "creamery" has been granted. Such a licence was granted to only one society, which, in fact, was the only society registered in the register of manufacturing exporters, namely, the Macamore Co-operative Agricultural and Dairy Society, Limited, Bally-canew, County Wexford. This society's premises received, in addition to whole milk, "gathered cream", that is, cream separated at farms—a practice which is not allowed in a creamery proper.

The Macamore Society recently amalgamated with the Inch Co-operative Agricultural and Dairy Society, Limited, the proprietors of a central creamery at Inch, and the manufacturing exporter's premises have been converted into a separating station to serve the central creamery at Inch. Under existing legislation, it is not lawful to supply "gathered cream" from a registered cream-separating station to a registered creamery. It is not, however, possible in present circumstances to discontinue the system of collecting "gathered cream" at the former Macamore premises.

Power is, accordingly, being sought in the present Bill to grant a licence to the amalgamated society to enable it to continue the system of collecting "gathered" cream at these premises and to transmit it to the central creamery at Inch for manufacture into butter. The duration of the licence will be limited to a maximum of five years, to afford time to the amalgamated society to put into operation an alternative means of dealing with the milk supplies concerned, possibly by putting a travelling creamery into operation.

Mr. Roddy

There is only one society being so licensed, I understand from the Minister?

Mr. Smith

Yes.

Mr. Roddy

And it is not contemplated to apply similar arrangements to any other society in the country? The Minister, I assume, will still insist on what he calls "cream" being made from "commingled" milk—I think that is the expression in the other Act.

Mr. Smith

There were no other similar premises registered under the 1924 Act.

Mr. Roddy

That is not a practice which was followed in other creameries throughout the country.

Mr. Halliden

It applies to one particular creamery only.

Mr. Allen

The power sought by the Minister has been in existence for a long number of years. Owing to a recent agreement it is necessary to have this Bill to continue that power.

Mr. Cogan

Will the Minister say whether this system of collecting separated cream has proved successful? Is the product of this "gathered cream" equal to the product of cream separated in the creamery? Does he consider that this experiment has proved successful, on the whole, or that it is one that ought to be discontinued? Some years ago, in an area similar to Wexford, in County Carlow, we were endeavouring to promote a creamery. It was thought at that time that the creamery might have succeeded if the practice of allowing the farmers to separate milk in their own homes and have the cream collected was adopted. Under the law, that could not be done at that time and the creamery was forced to close down. The difficulty, of course, was that the area supplying the cream was so large and the number of farmers supplying was so limited—there was only a small percentage of the farms in the area supplying—that there was a big and expensive transport problem. It was considered a good plan to have the cream separated on the farms and only the cream collected and that that would reduce the transport problem. At that time it was impossible, owing to legislation, to carry out that scheme. I am anxious to know now if the experiment has been a success in the particular area where it has been carried out.

Mr. Smith

I do not know if an expression of opinion is called for from me on this matter. It appears as if this was not the line of approach that was decided upon by those who apparently were authorities on this matter in the early days and, of course, the best answer I can give to the point made by Deputy Cogan is that of all the cream and milk handled in Macamore, the portion of it which is handled in the form of cream separated at the farmer's home is only 16 per cent. If this were the only experiment which had been carried out in the country the figures would seem to establish that the idea of separating milk on the farmer's place is not regarded in a kindly light. There are several objections to it that any Deputy can see. I need not go into them. The idea here is to allow a practice that has grown up to continue for a certain time and the ultimate aim is that that practice will come to an end.

Question put and agreed to.

Agreed to take remaining Stages now.

Bill put through Committee and reported without amendment, received for final consideration and passed.