asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a comprehensive statement concerning the present position of this country's lamb trade with France and the proposals, if any, he has to ensure the continuation of this trade.
8.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Lamb Trade with France.
7.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he has made representations to the French Government to have the ban on lamb imports removed.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose taking Questions Nos. 7 and 8 together.
I have made representations personally to the French Agricultural Minister last week about the adverse effect on Irish lamb exports to France of the increase now made in the French minimum import price for lamb. I will, of course, pursue the matter as far as possible.
The increase in the French minimum price will have the effect of prohibiting for the time being imports of lamb from here and other countries into France.
Our exports of lamb to France represented just over 50 per cent of our total lamb exports last year and the sudden cutting off of this trade is therefore very regrettable. Pending the introduction by the EEC of a common organisation of the market for sheepmeat individual member countries may maintain their own national organisation of the market. The French authorities claim that their present import system is in conformity with that freedom but I have also been questioning this aspect.
Can the Minister tell us what progress, if any, his colleague in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has made with regard to the introduction of a common agricultural policy for sheep and lambs?
As the Deputy knows, better than I, there is not this agreement in the sheep meat area, and that is what the Minister is seeking to bring about. It is the absence of this common agricultural policy in the area of sheep which has permitted the French to make their own interpretation of Treaty provisions in this area. The Deputy is right in thinking that the final answer is common agricultural policy applied to this area.
My question was what progress has been made.
We may judge that to get this common agricultural policy would require the support of the French. The French have taken this unilateral action which has damaged our lamb export. It was of a high figure, about 50 per cent. The Deputy may judge that so far we are not within sight of that common agricultural policy for sheep meat but that the Minister is making all realistic efforts to bring it about.
Nonsense.
Nonsense. Another failure on the agricultural front at European level.
Would the Minister agree that this contravenes GAAF and as such would he not take some action under that heading?
The Minister is contesting the propriety of French action as well as other member countries but, as the Deputy will appreciate, under the Treaty of Accession and the Treaty of Rome, quite a period of time could elapse before there is any settlement of such arguments for and against the French action. The Minister seeks to bring in a common agricultural policy to apply in this area.
Is it not true that Commissioner Lardinois many months ago undertook to introduce a common policy for sheep before June of this year? What has happened to the Commissioner's plan to introduce this scheme and to the Minister's endeavours to make him do it?
As the Deputy appreciates in the whole area of agriculture this has been one of the areas of which the Community cannot be that proud. There has been a tendency for member countries to take action as it suited themselves. The Deputy, as one of the people involved in the negotiation of that Treaty, will share the disappointment of the outcome of those negotiations for the farmers of Ireland, but I can say that the present Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries is engaged energetically in the introduction of a common agricultural policy in this area. I have every confidence that in that effort he will succeed.
What action, if any, has our agricultural Minister taken that would suit us?
I have replied adequately to that question.