asked the Minister for Agriculture what quantity of unmillable wheat is now in store in Ireland and what quantity has been sold for export or feeding since August, 1960.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Unmillable Wheat.
7.
An Bord Gráin hold approximately 110,000 tons of 1960 crop wheat which is unsuitable for milling into flour. Of this quantity 68,000 tons have been sold for export before mid-August next.
Approximately 130,000 tons have already been exported or sold on the home market for feeding since August, 1960.
How does the Minister justify the importation of pollard and bran, when he has on hands such large quantities of unmillable wheat which could substantially be converted into white pollard and bran?
The Deputy raised this question with me on a previous occasion. I dealt with it at that time. Apparently the Deputy has in mind an occasion when the flour millers' profits were guaranteed and when the subsidy arrangement permitted the solution he suggests to be adopted as one more acceptable than the system in operation.
All I am trying to find out is this. If we have on hands thousands of tons of wheat which is not fit for conversion into flour but which could be converted into pollard and bran, why do we keep that wheat in store and at the same time import pollard and bran? I can quite see we must use the pollard and bran derived from our current manufacture of flour. Why do we import pollard and bran when we have wheat which can be converted into pollard and bran?
The disposal of any surplus wheat that arises as a result of a bad harvest has to be dealt with having regard to our grain policy and having regard to the guarantee we give to the barley grower. Regard must also be had to the compounders' anxiety to produce a compound which is uniform and acceptable. Bearing in mind all these delicate and intricate questions we believe the course which has been taken, after very careful consideration of this problem, is the proper one.
It is a mystery to me.