asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state in respect of the two cargoes of feeding barley purchased by Grain Importers, Limited, from Iraq (1) the price paid for this barley by Grain Importers; (2) the price at which it will be offered to consumers.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Barley Imports.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state in respect of the huge quantities of feeding barley purchased by Grain Importers, Limited, from Iraq the price paid for this barley and the price at which it will be offered to consumers in this country.
asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that Grain Importers, Limited, are purchasing Queensland sorghums for shipment to this country, that there is still a large quantity of both malting and feeding barley on hands since last harvest and that the flooding of this country with foreign grain will seriously depress the market; and, if so, if he will state what steps he proposes to take in the matter.
asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that Grain Importers, Limited, are about to, or have already purchased Queensland sorghums for feeding purposes, and that there are still large quantities of malting and feeding barley on hands since last harvest and that the flooding of this country with foreign grain will seriously affect the home market; and, if so, if he will state whether he proposes to take any steps in the matter.
asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that the market for malting barley in this country last harvest was seriously depressed due to the importation of 360,000 barrels of foreign barley before last August and that the present importation by Grain Importers, Limited, of foreign feeding barley and Queensland sorghums will have a serious effect on farmers who, on the Minister's advice, have sown Ymer barley for feeding purposes this season; and, if so, if he will state what steps he proposes to take in the matter.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the quantities of feeding and malting barley still on farmers' hands and what effect the wholesale importation of foreign and substitute barley will have on producers of feeding barley at home.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the quantity of feeding and malting barley still on the hands of producers.
With your permission, a Leas-Chinn Comhairle, I propose to take questions Nos. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24 together.
Grain Importers (Éire) Limited have purchased two cargoes of Iraqian barley totalling approximately 16,000 tons at an average price of £19 18s. 0d per ton c.i.f. This barley is being offered at £23 per ton carriage paid for minimum lots of six tons delivered to the purchaser's nearest railhead and is subject to the same discount rates as apply in the case of maize.
A small quantity of sorghums has been purchased for experimental purposes. Inquiries have been made from the millers as to whether they would be interested in the purchase of sorghums but no commercial purchases have so far been effected.
I am not aware that there are any material quantities of malting or feeding barley on the hands of growers since last season. In any event I am sure that many growers would be glad to have such stocks available at present.
As Deputies are aware, it has been necessary recently to increase the price of maize by £4 a ton and even that increase may not offset the increasing costs of importation. In this situation I am investigating the possibilities of substituting for maize other feeding grains.
Future imports of barley or sorghums which may be effected will, therefore, be arranged with a view to supplementing the inadequate supplies of home-produced feeding stuffs. I have advised farmers on many occasions in the past that it is in their own interests to produce the maximum quantity of animal feeding stuffs on their own farms. Farmers who took this advice will undoubtedly benefit thereby in the coming autumn and winter.
The importation of malting barley during the period 1st October, 1948, to 31st August, 1949, had no depressing effect whatever on the market for malting barley of the 1949 crop. As I indicated in reply to a question by Deputy Rooney on 26th October last, imports of malting barley from 1st October, 1948, to 30th September, 1949, amounted to 30,417 tons of which 11,060 tons were imported after 1st January, 1949. With the exception of 1,837 tons which were imported on foot of contracts concluded several months earlier, all the barley imported was provided by the British authorities for the production of beer for export to Britain, in accordance with arrangements which were entered into in December, 1943. No malting barley has been imported since 1st July, 1949.
That is not what the maltsters say.
Up the Republic.
Has the Minister seen any sample of this imported barley?
Yes, I have.
What do you think of it?
I think it is very good feeding barley.
It is a mixture of wild oats and bad barley—at £23 per ton.
How very helpful of the Deputy. Nobody need buy it, you know. This is a free country.
Up the Republic.
What about the barley position next season?
Seven-eighths of it has already been sold.
Will the Minister ensure that those producers who took his advice will not be left with the barley on their hands?
I take it the Deputy will join with me in advising farmers to multiply the number of their live stock to consume not only all the feeding stuffs produced from their own land but a great deal more, which they will purchase elsewhere.
By decreasing the price of milk.
Like the oats.
Answer the question.