asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if the supply of turkeys is adequate to meet home market demand.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Turkey and Poultry Industry.
26.
The overall supply of fresh and frozen oven-ready turkeys is expected to be adequate to meet the likely home demand.
Would the Minister say whether or not the decline in demand in the catering industry is the reason for there being an inadequate supply?
I think there is an adequate supply, because an adequate supply was produced. That is the greatest reason.
In other words, the Minister will not say there is a drop in demand?
I am not aware of any decline in the catering industry.
Is the Minister including in his answer, in relation to the adequate supply, turkeys kept over from last year and imported here?
I am afraid I am unable to answer that. I am asked if the supply is adequate and the answer is that it is.
But does it include what I am saying?
I do not know. Every year there is a carry-over, surely?
Is the Minister aware that there has been a very big drop in the amount of turkeys produced in the past 12 months?
There is some drop.
A substantial drop.
We have not an exact calculation of that yet.
27.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a statement on the future of the Irish turkey and poultry industry as a whole having regard to EEC requirements.
Apart from the problem, which has yet to be resolved, relating to trade on the home market in New York dressed poultry, including turkeys, which is prohibited as from 1976 by the Poultry Health Directive of 1971, I consider that the EEC requirements present no insuperable barriers to the future development of our turkey and poultry industry. However, at this stage, I do not envisage any more optimistic prospects for future developments and expansion than those set out in the White Paper published by the Government in January, 1972, which related, inter alia, to the economic effects on our poultry and eggs industry of accession to the Community. Factors at present governing trends for the future are the general worldwide increases in cost of poultry feeding stuffs with consequential rises in production costs for our industry, the competition on the home market to poultry meat from beef and, also, the depressed state of the industry in other EEC member states, especially in the poultry meat sector which affects our export trade.
To surmount present difficulties and to ensure the future buoyancy and development of our industry in the conditions of keener competition envisaged in intra-Community trade, it is essential that the highest level of efficiency should be exercised by everyone engaged in all sectors of the poultry and eggs industry including the production, processing and marketing spheres.