asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a statement on the hatchery capacity of the State in relation to (a) the home market and (b) the present and the potential export market; if he will give details of any assistance given to hatcheries in the State over the past three years by way of grant or loan; and if he is prepared to encourage the export trade in this industry by way of extending grant or loan facilities to well-established firms requiring them.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Assistance to Hatcheries.
10.
Mr. Barrett
The capacity of licensed poultry hatcheries would enable approximate annual hatchings of 32,000,000 ordinary chicks, 1,800,000 poults, and 427,000 ducklings. The actual production in 1966 was well below capacity, namely:
|
Home Sales |
Exports |
|
|
Ordinary Chicks |
11,800,000 |
2,030,000 |
|
Poults |
305,000 |
64,600 |
|
Ducklings |
133,000 |
Nil |
My Department makes small-scale grants for hatchery purposes to pedigree poultry breeders, turkey egg supply farms and turkey breeder hatcheries which amounted to £1,265 in the 1966-67 financial year, £1,229 in 1965-66 and £910 in 1964-65. No grants or loans are made by my Department to large commercial hatcheries and would not be warranted by the position in regard to the existing capacity.