asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a statement on the effects of the annual British farm price review on Irish agricultural exports.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Agricultural Exports.
24.
As a result of the recent British annual agricultural review, the guaranteed prices for Irish store cattle and store sheep and lambs fattened in the United Kingdom for at least two months have been increased by 7s 6d per live cwt and 3d per lb, respectively.
The above increases in the guaranteed prices will also apply in the determination of the amounts payable to the Irish Exchequer by the British Government under the provisions of the free trade area agreement in respect of exports to Britain of 25,000 tons of Irish carcase beef and 5,500 tons of Irish carcase lamb per annum.
As already announced, the Irish Government have decided that the level of prices on which the rate of support payment under the beef export guarantee scheme is calculated has been increased by 1½d per lb carcase weight. Also, the level of the prices on which the rate of export support payment on carcase lamb is calculated has likewise been increased by 3d per lb carcase weight.
Would the Minister explain why there was a week's delay in giving the increases to which he has referred when the trade had already increased their prices to allow for the increase?
It was not a question of delay. It was a question of the Government making a decision favourable to the farmers and producers. In so far as any suggestion of the trade having increased their prices is concerned, this may well have been reflected to some degree in the prices pertaining at Easter time or coming up to Easter time. Nobody in the trade would claim that he had increased his prices by a figure equal to three halfpence per pound, as the Deputy would seem to imply.
There was a delay in giving the increases.
It was not a question of delay but, as I have already said, it was a question of the Government making a decision very favourable to the producers. This decision was quickly announced thereby giving them the benefit of the increase and giving them the benefit, calculated to be totally represented, of about £1¼ million in the coming year for their livestock in addition to what they might otherwise have got.