asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will take steps to increase the price of all tillage crops so that the farmers may share in increases which have benefited every other section of the community.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Tillage Crop Prices.
14.
I would refer the Deputy to the statements in regard to tillage which I made in the House on 26th May in my reply to the debate on the Estimate for Agriculture (cols. 2451 and 2452 of the Official Report, Vol. 222).
Surely the Minister is aware that tillage has dropped by half? Taking money values into consideration, the farmers are getting roughly only 50 per cent of what they were getting ten to 15 years ago for their crops. Surely the Minister realises he will have to do something much more than he has announced if he is to get the farmers to produce what they could and should produce? Has he any comment?
I have already discussed this matter fairly fully in this House. I have indicated that the decline in tillage acreage is a matter of serious concern. It is something which is being examined in depth. One of the puzzling features of the situation is that it does not seem to be a reflection of the price structure. The price of wheat has been increased in two successive years—3/- in 1965 and 10/- a barrel this year. By any standard, that is a reasonably satisfactory increase over a period of two years. In the same period, the price of feeding barley has been increased by 5/- and the price is considered by most fairminded and reasonable farmers to be a fair price for feeding barley. In the past three or four years, fairly substantial increases have been given in the price of beet and also in the price of malting barley, but these price increases do not seem to have achieved the desired increase in the tillage acreage of the crops concerned. There are, of course, a variety of factors which influence tillage farmers in deciding on the acreage of tillage they will undertake. The relative profitability of other forms of husbandry is one——
And the time at which the price increase is announced.
—— and in the case of wheat, I think the unsatisfactory situation in regard to marketing which has prevailed over a number of years has a bearing and a factor which has probably had more influence than anything else has been the very poor seasons we have had in the past two or three years.
Surely the Minister realises that if the farmer is paid a just reward for his labour, he will grow the grain?
Our grain prices are now in or about the level of the EEC prices. This applies to wheat particularly. There is a limit to which the price of wheat can go.
Is it not true to say that the emphasis is now on grass and that neither the Minister nor his Department is anxious to increase the tillage acreage but rather to get back to grass and the production of cattle?
The Minister for Grass.
That is a separate question.
We are anxious to do what we can to get the tillage acreage to a satisfactory level because without a satisfactory tillage acreage we would have an unbalanced agriculture in this country and we do not want that.