asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the financial loss to pig producers in this country from FEOGA funds as a result of the non-payment of pig subsidies to them, while some subsidies were being paid to British producers by their Government; and the action he proposes to take in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pig Subsidies.
126.
The same rates of pig subsidy approved by the EEC, operated in Ireland and Britain from 25th March to 1st September, the British subsidy coming from UK national funds and ours from FEOGA.
Following the unilateral continuance, without EEC approval, of British pig subsidy for September and October my Department and I pursued immediately and very strongly with the EEC on a number of occasions, but I regret to say without success, the case for the continuance of similar pig subsidy here during those further two months. This would have cost about £440,000, additional to our FEOGA subsidy of about £3,332,000 for the earlier months.
Would the Minister agree that Irish pig producers will be in an unfavourable position beside the British? They got a subsidy from their own Exchequer. We did not get it at that time. Would it not be well spent money to try to bring up the production of pigs?
There are two things to be said about this. First, the British paid it out of their own Exchequer and they did so illegally. In addition to that, while we tried very hard to make a case, we had not a very good case, as the Irish price for pigmeat was the highest in Europe by a fairly substantial amount.