With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 22-24 together.
The Mansholt proposals of 1968 aimed at assisting those leaving agriculture of their own accord and at helping those remaining in agriculture to improve their conditions and achieve a standard of living comparable to that in other sectors. While it was accepted that the agricultural population of the EEC countries would continue to decline, it was recognised that the movement off the land would take place whether or not the proposals were implemented.
The original Mansholt proposals have, of course, been greatly altered and steps decided in relation to them by the Council of Ministers in March last would indeed be of particular benefit to us in helping to solve such farm structural problems as we have. These problems are, of course, of greater significance in the present six EEC countries where the average size of farm is much smaller than here.
Some 28 per cent of our population is still engaged in agriculture and it must be expected that, irrespective of entry into the EEC, this proportion will continue to decline in line with the trend in other developed countries. The decline in the number engaged in agriculture here over the decade 1959 to 1969 was 24 per cent. Because of the increased prosperity of farmers as a result of guaranteed outlets and improved prices for their products the rate of decline may well be slowed down by entry into the EEC.