asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the reason or reasons for the removal of the ban on the export of pigs of all classes over the Border to the Six Counties from the the Irish Republic on 25th October last.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ban on Export of Pigs.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state his reason or reasons for the reimposition of the ban on the export of pigs over the Border from the Irish Republic on 28th November.
With your permission, a Chinn Chomhairle, I propose to reply to Questions No. 41 and No. 42 together.
I would refer the Deputy to the statement issued by me through the Government Information Bureau on 25th November, 1950.
In view of the reply which I received from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce to Question No. 5 in which reply the Parliamentary Secretary gave me the information that no bacon or fat pigs were exported over the land frontier between the date of the removal of the ban on exports and its reimposition, how does the Minister claim that the removal of the ban would have the effect suggested in the statement to which he refers?
As the Deputy's supplementary is somewhat delphic, perhaps I might help him by reading over for him the statement that was issued. This is it:—
"The general suspension of the prohibition on export of fat and store pigs will be ended as on Tuesday, 28th November, at midnight. Pigs presented for export after that hour will not be allowed to proceed.
The decision to permit export of fat and store pigs was taken in order to avert a threatened reduction in the price payable by curers for pigs of suitable weights and it has effectively operated to this end. There is no likelihood of the price of pigs falling below 190/- to 200/- per cwt. in the future and farmers should confidently expand production in anticipation of a permanent and remunerative market for maximum production, based on home-grown barley and potatoes and skimmed milk together with such supplies of imported maize as production may require. There is no prospect of any scarcity of feeding stuffs to meet the demand, however production may expand."
If the information conveyed to me in reply to Question No. 5, that no bacon pigs were exported over the land frontier, is correct, how can the Minister claim that the removal of the ban has had the effect of strengthening prices here?
I do not know, but prices certainly went up substantially, did they not?
Am I to take it then that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce was conveying to the House unreliable and false information?
No. The Deputy can take it that he does not understand the mysterious and effective methods which we employ.
Will the Minister not agree that his original Order opening the Border was in respect of store pigs only, but that the Closing Order was in respect of store pigs and fat pigs?
Hopping and trotting, the oracle worked.
Is that not a fact, that when the Minister opened the Border it was for the export of store pigs only? Is that not a fact, and was the Dáil not so informed by the Parliamentary Secretary to-day?
No.
Is it not also a fact that large numbers of fat pigs, thousands of fat pigs, were exported over the Border?
I think the Deputy has a lot of mythical material. The tenor of Deputy Smith's question was, how was the miracle achieved, and I have given him all the information that I can. If he does not understand it, that does not surprise me.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the period of time during which restrictions on the export of live pigs were relaxed.
25th October, 1950, to 28th November, 1950, inclusive.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state his plans regarding the future prohibition of the export of bacon pigs into the Six Counties from the Republic to meet any position similar to that which necessitated the removal of the prohibition some weeks ago.
It would be premature to draw up plans to meet a purely hypothetical situation. Action would depend on circumstances.
In order to allay the fears that producers have, can the Minister give them an assurance that, in the event of a situation similar to that which existed on the 25th October arising, he will take similar action in order to relieve the producer of surplus pigs?
I will give the undertaking that I would take effective action.
Can the Minister say what that effective action will be?
My reply to the Deputy is that it would be premature to draw plans to meet a hypothetical situation.