asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries what marketing bodies and facilities are being developed for the sale of all types of agricultural and horticultural produce in the EEC if this country enters the Common Market.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Membership of EEC.
7.
As the Deputy is aware, we already have a number of bodies dealing with the marketing and promotion of our main agricultural and fishery exports although some changes might have to be made in the structure of these bodies to conform to EEC requirements. I consider that full use should continue to be made of them in the development of our exports. Also, to comply with Community regulations, it would be necessary to establish intervention agencies for the principal products and to provide for the administration as appropriate of grading standards and export support measures. The various arrangements in this connection would fall to be made after completion of the entry negotiations.
Surely the right time to do it is now. It is necessary either to expand the existing agencies for the sale of horticultural and agricultural produce or provide new ones. We are sitting down waiting to go into EEC without making preparations.
This is not the case and it is a grave reflection on industries such as the dairy industry who have this under active consideration themselves and who are likely to take over greater and greater control of the export of their own produce than has hitherto been the case. Heretofore, Bord Bainne acted as an export agency, as a monopoly. This monopoly situation cannot continue, but that does not necessary? Is it not absolutely necessary somewhat altered form must go out of existence. In fact, it should continue. I think the dairy industry in general are taking steps to see that it will continue and it would be to the advantage of the industry generally for it to do so.
First, I do not want to make a grave reflection on anybody. Secondly, would the Minister not agree that a suggestion that we should have either improvement and expansion of our present marketing boards to take in EEC activities or alternatively new ones, is not a reflection on anybody but in fact is something absolutely necessary. Is it not absolutely necessary to bring the different elements in the dairying industry together and get them correlated?
I understood the Deputy to say that we were sitting down and doing nothing about it. There are limitations on the Department of Agriculture in what they, as the Department, can do because, as in the case of Bord Bainne, which is an export monopoly board, the likelihood is that the structure of this will have to change. The various arrangements and changes that will have to be made will have to be worked out as we proceed.
Could the Minister assure the House that the same standard will be applied to an Bord Bainne and to Irish marketing boards as will be applied to the British Milk Marketing Board and that they will not get away with maintaining a monopoly?
This is a reasonable suggestion, but I would also point out that there is a difference that should not be overlooked. It is that the British Milk Marketing Board is largely an internal organisation for internal marketing, while our Bord Bainne is almost exclusively export. I think any concessions that might be made to the British in this regard should also extend to us.
Is it not a fact that the distinction between the internal and external marketing boards will be gone because you will have one agricultural market in EEC, and would the Minister further comment on the proposed changes and structure in the marketing boards referred to? Would he particularly state if this means that all marketing boards be producer controlled and will he give an assurance that in future all Irish marketing boards set up in Ireland will be producer controlled?
I think it is too early to say what the exact nature of the particular marketing boards that will be set up will be, but the most reasonable course they should take would be that they would be producer controlled. It is also reasonable to expect that possibly a section of the Department of Agriculture might act in the matter of intervention, as with the marketing board, as an agent for intervention.