asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the reasons for his letter to the Mitchelstown Co-operative Dairy Society asking them to discontinue the manufacture of cheese, and whether he is aware that his action in stopping the manufacture of cheese by the creamery will mean a reduction in the price of milk to the farmers of East Cork of at least 3d. per gallon and the dismissal of 360 workers; and, if so, what action he proposes to take in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Manufacture of Cheese.
In regard to the latter part of the Deputy's question the answer is no. In regard to the first part of the Question the facts are that the manager of Mitchelstown Creamery approached my Department in May last with a request for permission to export cheese to Great Britain, consequent on the accumulation by him of an excessive stock of cheese as a result of over-estimating the capacity of the home market to consume it; in order to avoid serious deterioration in a large quantity of cheese permission for the export of a substantial quantity was granted; it subsequently appeared that the output of butter requisite to maintain the butter ration during next winter was not being attained and, accordingly I requested co-operative creameries and others to restrict their production of cheese and chocolate crumb in favour of butter until the necessary butter stocks were assembled in cold store; when the primary duty of converting available milk into butter has been discharged, the full-scale manufacture of cheese and chocolate crumb will be restored. In the meantime it is not anticipated that the measures taken to help the Mitchelstown Society out of their difficulty will injure any of the categories of persons named in the question.
I would like to know from the Minister what amount of butter will result from this curtailment of cheese manufacture?
In reply to the Deputy, it is not possible to measure the actual quantity of butter that may result from this curtailment. My object is to curtail the output of the creameries in whatever they think is their most profitable occupation for the shortest possible time; that will be the moment when the total output of butter results in a sufficiency coming into the cold store and I have told the creameries and other companies that the device is purely temporary and need not be continued any longer than is necessary to ensure the butter supply which the community requires.
If the Minister is anxious about the quantity of butter why did he not prohibit the sale of cream to the luxury hotels in this country? I would have thought that would have been the first thing to do in respect of saving butter.
Every project in which milk is used was carefully examined with a view to seeing where we could most rapidly correct the deficiency which might arise; and I believe that if people act rationally the passing difficulty will be rapidly overcome.
The Minister, of course, knows that there is no subsidy on cheese. I learned from a speech of his here last year that he was very much against this £2,000,000 subsidy on butter. Is he now appealing to the farmers to produce something on which they are going to have a loss?
The farmers suffer no loss.
If the Minister could flood the country with milk why can he not flood it with butter?
If there is any fear of the maintenance of the butter ration would the Minister tell the House what justification he can devise for the removal of the prohibition of the sale of cream to hotels and restaurants?
That is a separate question.
If the Deputy will repeat the question next week I shall be in a position to give a comprehensive reply on the subject.
I will repeat the question next week but, in view of the unsatisfactory reply given to No. 6 by the Minister, it is my intention to raise the matter on the Adjournment to-night.
I would like to draw the Deputy's attention to the fact that this House has made out a time-table by unanimous agreement, and, if the Deputy raises the matter on the Adjournment to-night, it will interfere with the progress of the Business.
I would like to call the attention of the House to the fact that there was a discussion here for days on the Minister's Estimate and it was not until that Estimate was finished that this lunatic thing was done.
I would suggest, for the convenience of the House, that if the Deputy wishes to raise this matter without upsetting the time-table agreed between the Government and the Opposition it might be done next week.
Yes, on Tuesday of next week.
That is no good.