asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state why no reply has been communicated to the Carlow County Committee of Agriculture in respect of a resolution passed by that committee at its meeting held on 18th September, 1950, which requested the abolition of the fee of 1/- per acre charged on all applications for fertilisers under the fertilisers credit scheme, and if he will now state his attitude towards that request.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fertilisers Credit Scheme.
The answer to the first part of the question is that a reply has been sent.
My attitude to the resolution is that the charge of 1/- per acre for the testing of land is an integral part of the scheme, and I am not prepared to dispense with it.
Can the Minister state what useful purpose is served by the levy of this 1/- tax per acre on the entire holding? Can he state why a farmer who requires to fertilise only five or ten acres of his holding should be compelled to pay a levy of 1/- per acre on every acre of his holding? Is he aware that soil testing for farmers who do not require credit facilities is done free of charge by the officers of the county committees of agriculture? Why then should he put a charge in this particular case? I want an answer to that question.
The purpose of testing soil is to determine whether or not land requires fertilisers. If there were available to science any means whereby soil scientists could determine, or even an ordinary farmer, by looking at the land whether or not it requires fertilisers there would then be no need for soil testing. When the Deputy asks me why a farmer who requires fertilisers on only eight out of 100 acres should be compelled to have the 100 acres tested, the answer is, how does the farmer know? If there is anywhere a man who has a means of finding that out without testing the actual soil, if the Deputy will put him in touch with me I will ask the Minister for Finance to sanction a very handsome annual salary for him since he will be worth his weight in gold.
In regard to the second part of the query, there is no compulsion on anyone to avail of this scheme. If they want to have their soil tested by the county committees of agriculture, this is a free country and they are quite entitled to do so. But if they want to have their soil tested under this scheme, with a view to applying a sufficiency of fertilisers to all the land in their folio which is deficient, they must pay 1/- and get not a part of the land tested but all the land, together with a recommendation in respect of each acre thereof.
Question No. 33.
Again, is the Minister aware——
Question No. 33.