asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will consider the payment of grants for the provision of uncovered silos.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Grants for Uncovered Silos.
5.
Grants under the Farm Buildings Scheme for unroofed walled silos were discontinued early in 1964, the experience up to then being that such silos were not very satisfactory. The grants for roofed concrete trench silos were, however, appreciably raised at the same time. I am now considering an alternative proposal for grant-aid-ing uncovered concrete strips or bases on which silage could be conserved.
Would the Minister, when considering the concrete strips, reconsider the question of restoring concrete walled silos because, in fact, if they are covered with clay, they are very frequently much more suitable silage installations for the congested areas than the more elaborate covered silos which the officials of the Department appear to prefer?
Our consideration at the moment is even more simplified, in the form of a strip or base. Certainly, the idea of uncovered walled silos is being taken into consideration in our discussions on this whole matter.
I have used them for 20 years.
Is consideration of this matter not warranted by the advent of polythene covers? Is that not what made it possible to consider silage in the open?
That could be one of the reasons it was made possible now but consideration of it was always possible, although not with any satisfactory results.