asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is satisfied with the progress to-date of the campaign to promote the sale of milk and dairy products on the home market; and, if not, what steps he proposes to take to increase the consumption of those products on the home market.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Dairy Products.
72.
I am satisfied that the National Dairy Council, who are the body charged with the promotion of milk and dairy products on the home market have been doing very valuable work. Per head of population, our home-market consumption of milk and butter is substantially greater than that of most other countries. I might add that in each of the years 1970-71 and 1971-72 extra Exchequer funds were made available to the council for their work.
Surely the Minister is aware that the consumption of butter is dropping and that the consumption of margarine, which we have to import, has been increasing over the past few years.
I do not know whether this is actually the case. I am not certain. The position was that there has been a rising consumption of the newer type of emulsified margarines. I think that has levelled off. It is a separate question but I think we consume more butter per head of the population than practically anyone else in the world.
Could somebody not produce some milk drink which could be popularised and which the jet set could drink instead of their gins and tonic and vodka?
I could think of a drink that I could recommend to Deputy L'Estrange but I will not mention it.
What has the Minister to say? I should like to know because I drink milk.
Is the picture of Princess Margaret in the present issue of Bainne intended to help matters in present circumstances?
What has she got to do with it?
I wonder.
73.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries how this country's efficiency in processing and marketing of milk and dairy products compares with member countries of the EEC and with applicant countries.
There are no objective criteria on which a comparison could be made in this matter.
In the processing of milk and dairy products, this country has long been recognised to have reached a high level of technical efficiency, but there is, of course, scope for significant additional efficiency by general rationalisation of the industry involving the concentration of the processing function into larger manufacturing units.
As regards marketing, the hitherto successful operations of Bord Bainne on export markets in competition with other countries are generally recognised and underline the desirability of maintaining the present marketing system as far as possible on Ireland's accession to the EEC.