asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries what arrangements have been made to sell lambs to France; and how many lambs have been sold to that country during the past two years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Lamb Exports to France.
46.
The export of lamb to France is an established trade of many years standing and my Department and Coras Beostoic agus Feola have been taking appropriate steps to encourage development of the trade. However, imports of lamb into France are permitted by the French authorities only when the French market price is above a fixed level. Imports are also subject to the payment of a customs duty and import levy.
Our exports of lamb to France amounted to 4,485 tons in 1969 and 4,134 tons in 1970. In the first four months of 1971 exports were approximately 1,024 tons as compared with 494 tons in the same period of 1970.
In view of the fact that we have had an adverse trade balance with France, since the Common Market started, of £49,648,000 does the Minister not think that an all-out effort should be made to increase our exports to France? We have bought £119,654,000 worth of goods from France and only sold them £69,906,000 worth of goods, an adverse balance of some £50 million, since the EEC started.
As I have said, an all-out effort is being made not only by my Department but by Coras Beostoic as well but the import of lambs into France is controlled by the French themselves.
Surely if an all-out effort has been made somebody is slipping up? Surely the Minister cannot claim that the all-out effort has been a success in view of those figures? Does the Minister not think that more should be done in the future?
The French trade is our best outlet for lambs.
Every farmer knows that but lambs are now down £2 or £3 a head.
For different reasons.
Because there has been an increase in production and as always happens with the farmers when they increase production the bottom falls out of the market.
I hope that is not the official Fine Gael attitude to the production of lambs.
Look, we were interested in sheep and cattle when you did not give a damn about them.
I could venture to say that I know at least as much as Deputy L'Estrange does about cattle and sheep.
(Interruptions.)
There are black sheep in that party. The Taoiseach got rid of some of them but there are others waiting to get rid of others, including yourself. You withdrew your resignation but it is only for the time being.
Would the Minister be able to give the sheep farmers any assurance that the French trade will improve this year because it is pretty slack at the moment and sheep farmers are stuck with hundreds of lambs. We pay a headage grant but then there is no way of exporting lambs.
There is reason to believe that certain recent newspaper reports which were of a specific kind need not be heeded too seriously but I can give no specific undertaking.
Would the Minister tell us the number of permanent representatives his Department have in France?
That is a separate question. The question deals with lambs.
What arrangements have been made to sell lambs to France?
The Deputy is looking for specific information in regard to the actual personnel engaged in this particular branch of the trade. If he puts down a question I will get that information for him.