asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he satisfied himself fully that sufficient home-grown oats was not available at the time of the recent importation of foreign oats.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Importation of Oats.
The answer is "yes".
Does the Minister not know that during the time that this oats was being imported at approximately £30 per ton, home-grown feeding oats and milling oats, suitable for the same purpose, was being sold at approximately £26 per ton and in some cases less, and did he not at the time take these things into consideration with a view to giving the home farmer the highest possible price rather than giving it to the foreigner in importing foreign oats?
I am so aware, but bearing these matters in mind, before issuing any licences for the importation of oats I required all oat meal millers in this country to advertise in the newspapers of the 29th October that they were ready and willing to purchase unlimited quantities of oats and they were required to wait until the 10th December, a period of six weeks, to allow anyone who had oats to offer to offer it and sell it to the miller before any licence was issued, on foot of which no oats could reach Ireland before the end of January. If that did not give everybody a chance to get rid of their oats, I would like to be told why.
Question No. 54.