asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will introduce immediately a scheme of substantial grants for farmers to enable them to provide storage on their farms for barley for feeding purposes for their own stock, particularly for pig feeding.
24.
Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - Grain Storage and Drying Facilities.
23.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will consider extending to farmers the same grant facilities as have been recently made available to merchants and cooperatives for the drying and storage of grain.
I propose, with the permission of An Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 23 and 24 together.
Grants of a reasonable amount for the provision of grain storage accommodation on farms are already available under my Department's Farm Buildings Scheme.
Surely the Minister must realise that the existing grants are entirely unsuitable and insufficient in order that the farmer might provide sufficient storage for the barley he grows for his own use? Would the Minister not consider providing a substantial sum to enable farmers who are in barley growing districts to provide suitable storage for themselves? The existing scheme is not sufficient.
The evidence I have would not substantiate the claim. In 1960-61 the total amount spent in grants under the Farm Buildings Scheme was £585,000. In 1961-62, it rose to £826,000 and in 1962-63 it rose to £1,094,000, the highest ever.
Surely the Minister is mixing up this matter? What is responsible for that is the fact that the bovine tuberculosis eradication scheme has required farmers to provide suitable cow houses. I am asking the Minister if he can now break up that figure into how much was spent on grants for the storage of barley? This question deals with the provision of grants.
The Deputy is entirely misinformed.
There has been a big increase in the number of applications made under this scheme under all heads.
Could the Minister say why he considers farmers are not entitled to grants equal to those which he has decided to give to the merchants for the storage of barley, in view of the fact that it costs so much to get wheat to the merchants? It costs about £5 a ton.
The principal reason which I had for introducing this scheme is that last year we had a very heavy crop of barley. It so happened that the season being late the barley crop ripened around the same time as the wheat. It was a very doubtful sort of season for wheat and the storage of both these crops in some cases precented very great difficulties. I came to the conclusion that we should do something to improve the storage position for the future in the knowledge that we were likely to have a very heavy barley crop in 1963. For that reason then, and for that purpose, I went to the Minister for Finance and asked him to approve grants for the provision of additional storage——
To the merchants but not the farmers.
These grants are available to the co-operative societies and it was the societies, who represent the farmers in the main, who pressed most strenuously for these grants.
Why not to individual farmers?
He has the grant already.
Not to that extent.
Surely he could give the farmer the same grant as the merchant?