asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if his attention has been called to the abnormal increase in the import of foreign wheat from January to July last year, a total of 169,633 tons as compared to 111,173 tons from January to July 1967, an increase of 58,000 tons and of £1,641,841 on the adverse trade balance; if he has taken the matter up with the Irish Flour-Millers Association who have been emphasising over the years the reduction in the consumption of flour and bread in this country; and if he will state the explanation received.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Wheat Imports.
35.
The increase consisted mainly of imports of feed wheat which was in fact more than offset by a decrease in the quantity of milo imported in the same period.
I would like to point out to the Minister that we had the best harvest for years in this country in the past year. The import of foreign wheat into this country for flour milling this year represented an increase of over 58,000 tons on last year. It increased the adverse trade balance by practically £1.75 million. I want to know what steps the Minister will take with these monopolies who take advantage of their monopoly for the purpose of an anti-social procedure of this description?
The Deputy is being somewhat less than fair to the millers in this particular case. Of the total quantity of wheat in question that exceeded the amount in the equivalent period of the previous year, only 12,000 tons was accounted for by millable wheat. The quantity of suitable millable quality this year is such that we can give the millers 75 per cent of their needs, and indeed more, to take them into next year as well. As I said in the reply, during the same period as this was brought into the country 58,000 tons less milo than in the corresponding period in the previous year were imported. Both these commodities, with the exception of 12,000 tons of millable wheat, were for feed purposes and are interchangeable depending on market availability and prices. Instead of an excess being brought in as against the previous year, 12,000 tons less was brought in in that period than in the previous 12 months before adding milo and wheat together.
I would ask the Minister to take the trouble of reading the Trade Returns of July and August of this year. He would get far more reliable information from them than from the monopolists.
It is not the monopolists or anybody connected with them that gave me the figures quoted here. These are the figures and they can be checked against the trade returns. It will be seen that for the period we imported exactly 12,000 tons less than we did in the previous 12 months.