Vol. 248 No. 9
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if there are regulations forbidding an egg exporter from supplying (a) liquid or frozen whole eggs, (b) dried whole egg and (c) table shell eggs to Northern Ireland importers at less than the UK minimum import prices for eggs and egg products; if so, what they are; and what penalties are provided for breaches of the regulations.
25.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is aware that an egg exporter (name supplied) was unable to take up offers from Northern Ireland egg importers (details supplied) for table shell eggs during a recent period when eggs were in heavy supply because the prices offered were below those stipulated in UK minimum import price system for eggs and egg products; and if he will make representations to the UK Government that the said system be not applied to Irish eggs as contrary to the spirit of the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement.
26.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the circumstances in which the levy provisions of the UK minimum import price system for eggs and egg products might be applied to Irish egg exporters.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 25 and 26 together.
Exporters of eggs in shell require licences under the Agricultural and Fishery Products (Regulation of Export) Act, 1947 (Export of Eggs) Order, 1952 and licences for exports to Northern Ireland are granted where the applicant declares that the export price is not less than the relevant UK minimum import price. Any person furnishing false or misleading information for the purpose of obtaining a licence is liable to prosecution and on conviction to a fine not exceeding £100. There is no export trade in liquid or dried whole egg.
The exporter named informed my Department on 2nd July that the position was as stated by the Deputy. However, other regular exporters of eggs to Northern Ireland were able to meet the minimum price requirements and got licences for a greater total quantity than last year.
In my reply to the Deputy's question on 18th June I indicated that as a result of discussions between the British and Irish Governments in the context of the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement the general levy provisions under the UK minimum import price system do not apply to eggs imported from Ireland and that no levy could be applied to Irish egg exports unless they were supplied below the UK minimum import price.
The last two sentences of the Minister's reply seem to be contradictory. He said first of all that the levy does not apply and then he said the levy will not apply unless imports are below the minimum price.
Has the Deputy a question to put?
Would the Minister clear up that apparent contradiction? Would the Minister not agree that, from the case I have mentioned and which he conceded is true, this minimum import price system for eggs is interfering with free trade in eggs and that this particular exporter, and probably a number of other exporters, could not export eggs to the United Kingdom at the price asked because of the minimum import price system? Is this not something that should be taken up by the Minister in negotiations in relation to the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement? We are now regressing as regards free trade in eggs. There was free trade in eggs some time ago, but now there is this discriminatory arrangement which prevents the free export of eggs.
It is not discriminatory——
But it is restrictive.
——except in this regard, that our exports must not be supplied at a price below the minimum import price. I think it is in this regard the person named in the Deputy's question got into difficulties. Other exporters who complied with this regulation had no trouble at all in disposing of greater quantities of eggs this year than last year.
Would the Minister agree that an offer was made to him below the minimum import price by the Northern Ireland importer? The initiative did not come from him at all. The offer was made and he could not accept it because of the minimum import price. Is that not the case? Would the Minister also explain to me about this levy?
He got a bad offer for a number of reasons, because there were greater supplies on the Six County home market this year than last year, a smaller tourist trade and so on. He evidently did not pursue the matter further. The offer he got was a bad one, but whether it was the only offer he got——
It was the only offer.
Other exporters supplying under the same conditions had no difficulty in disposing of larger amounts of eggs this year than last year.
Is the Minister sure of that, because the last time I asked him about this he was not even aware of this case and there may be other cases of which he is not aware?
Could the Minister say how import prices compare with prices which producers obtain in Northern Ireland or in Great Britain?
As I told Deputy Bruton a second ago, our export price must be below the minimum import price.
Must not be?
That is under the free trade area agreement?
I am asking the Minister about the minimum import price and the price payable to producers in the United Kingdom? Are they on the same level or is the minimum import price higher?
I would want notice of that question.
The Minister should not want notice of that.
The Minister did not answer my question about the levy.
I am calling Question No. 27. Would Deputy Bruton allow his next question to be answered?
We got a very bad deal.
