Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 3 Jul 1968

Vol. 236 No. 2

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Imported Feedstuffs.

18.

Mr. L'Estrange

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the total quantity and value of cereals and other feedstuffs imported during 1967; and if the Government will make a greater effort to see that more feeding stuff and cereals are produced at home.

Mr. Blaney

As the reply is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it in the Official Report. The statement is attached.

With regard to the second part of the question, it is estimated that the area sown to cereals this year is about 35,000 acres greater than last year. The present arrangements and price assurances in respect of home-grown cereals, including those recently announced for oats, offer sufficient incentives to grow the bulk of our requirements of cereals.

Imports of cereals and other feedstuffs in the year 1967.

Description	Unit of Quantity	Quantity	Value
			£
Cereals unmilled:
Wheat (excluding seed for sowing)	cwt.	3,895,573	5,431,992
Barley (excluding seed for sowing)	,,	127,623	164,112
Maize	,,	2,273,783	2,706,301
Milo	,,	2,188,240	2,425,453
Oats (excluding seed for sowing)	,,	175,698	224,759
Rice in husk or husked	,,	734	3,255
Rice glazed or polished	,,	50,474	166,705
Rye	,,	200	440
Other	,,	6,131	19,372
Cereal seeds for sowing:
Wheat	,,	25,121	51,939
Barley	,,	1,339	4,139
Oats	,,	101,486	162,818
Cereals, milled and cereal preparations:
Wheat flour and meal	,,	16,957	42,849
Maize meal and groats	,,	520	714
Meal and flour of cereals, n.e.s.	,,	21,647	55,767
Worked cereal grains including germ of cereals, rolled, flaked, polished, pearled or kibbled	,,	7,622	40,117
Feeding stuffs for animals:
Hay and straw, fodder, roots and vegetable products used for animal foods, n.e.s.	,,	75,250	93,366
Corn offals:
Bran	,,	82,135	85,546
Pollard	,,	1,462,968	1,608,229
Other	,,	59,377	66,230
Oilseed cake and meal, defatted:
Cotton seed	,,	293,045	480,657
Groundnut	,,	98,708	187,017
Linseed	,,	188,790	383,411
Soya bean	,,	975,383	1,830,256
Other, including vegetable oil residues	,,	140,000	231,873
Fish meal	,,	339,161	943,389
Meat and bone meal	,,	4,240	9,160
Dog biscuits and other dog and cat food	,,	29,784	188,925
Food wastes and prepared animal food	value		249,038

Mr. L'Estrange

Is it not true that the year before last we imported £23 million of cereals that could and should have been grown in this country if a proper incentive were given to the people to grow them? Is it not further true that tillage fell in the last ten years by well over 150,000 acres? It is back somewhat this year.

Mr. Blaney

What is back?

Mr. L'Estrange

Tillage has increased, we know, this year.

Mr. Blaney

This is in line with what I and the Government desire, and the Deputy can be quite well assured that anything further that is necessary to be done to fulfil the cereal needs will be done.