asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the estimated number of pigs that have come into the Republic from Northern Ireland during the past six months; and what steps he is taking to prevent this traffic.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Traffic in Pigs from Northern Ireland.
30.
It is unlawful to import pigs from the Six Counties except under licence from my Department. Licences are issued from time to time only in respect of fat sows required to supplement available home supplies for processing at meat factories and in respect of small numbers of pigs intended for breeding or for exhibition at agricultural shows.
During the six months ended 31st January, 1967, licences were issued by my Department for the importation of 15,600 fat sows, of which about 13,000 sows were actually imported during the period.
The Minister earlier said I was talking with my tongue in my cheek. Surely he knew I was referring to pigs coming across the Border at the rate of 8,000 a week which has had the effect of decimating the price of pigs during the past three weeks? Is the Minister not aware that on Friday morning last his Department were notified when a Northern Ireland truck and trailer carrying pigs for an institution in this city arrived? Was he not told that because the pigs were not earmarked, no action could be taken and is he not aware that earmarking of pigs ceased in Northern Ireland months ago?
Has the fact that Northern Ireland people would risk their trucks and their standing in the community to smuggle pigs in here any lesson for the Deputy in regard to the attractions for them to come in here?
The lesson there is that they are coming in at a minimum 6,000 to 10,000 a week and the Minister does not want to stop them because pigs in the Republic are down by 650,000.
Unless we are all going stark, staring mad, there seems to be no reason for rejoicing by the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Agriculture. We fixed the price for pigs in 1955 for the purpose of promoting pig production for processing into Irish bacon for export. What is now happening is that the pig population of the Republic is declining and the Northern Ireland farmer, in the enjoyment of all the subsidies provided by the British Government——
Clearly that is a speech.
I am asking the Minister is he aware of the fact that——
The Deputy may not make a speech by prefacing it with "is the Minister aware" and then proceeding for a quarter of an hour.
Two minutes.
I have not been proceeding for a quarter of an hour. Is the Minister aware—he is, of course, perfectly well aware—that this is a smuggling operation with which the Minister for Agriculture has been struggling for the past 15 years? At the present moment it seems to have got out of hand to the grave detriment of producers in the Republic, who are already discouraged by the high cost of feeding stuffs, which happens to be one of the reasons why the pig population in the Republic is declining. Surely the Minister appreciates the gravity of this wholesale smuggling?
Apparently I have not got the evidence the Deputies have about the wholesale smuggling. If such evidence is procurable—I assure the House it is being sought—and if it is procured, then the law will take whatever action the law can take.
That is a more rational reply than that of the Minister for Justice.
Yes, but it still poses the question I asked.
What question?
The Minister, I take it, does not want the evidence.