asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state if he has received any decision from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association with regard to his letter which was recently sent to that body giving them an assurance that the present price of creamery butter will be maintained, and that the present price of milk will also be maintained, and if he has satisfied himself that the present conditions of sale and prices of milk and butter are acceptable by the association.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Butter and Milk Prices.
Mr. Walsh
No such letter was sent by me or by my Department to the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association as that stated by the Deputy.
I may say, however, that at a meeting recently held at my Department of representatives of the various organisations connected with the creamery industry, including representatives of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association, I informed the meeting, arising out of a question which was raised on the matter, that, following the withdrawal of subsidy on butter production, new wholesale prices for butter would be fixed so as to ensure that creameries would be in a position to continue to pay the present guaranteed prices of milk supplies. All the representatives expressed satisfaction with this arrangement, and the appropriate wholesale prices Order has since been made.