asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the action he proposes to take to ensure that sales of Irish skim milk powder are not adversely affected by the sale from intervention of subsidised skim milk powder held in other member countries.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Skim Milk Sales.
6.
My Department do everything possible to ensure, in the consideration of proposals by the European Commission for the disposal of intervention stocks of skim milk powder, that every effort is made to avoid adverse effects on commercial sales of Irish powder. I might add that in view of the present difficult world market situation for skim milk powder the Community intervention stock for 1975 is likely to include significant quantities of Irish powder.
Would the Minister agree that this poses a serious threat to an industry which had anticipated approximately 100,000 tons production this year? With that in mind, might I ask the Minister is there sufficient storage in case it has to go into intervention?
There has been no complaint about storage so far. I think we are lucky to be able to resort to intervention.
Question No. 7.
Was the Minister's attention drawn to the fact that a lot of milk powder which went into intervention in England last year is now lying rotting in stores? Would the Minister agree that it would be serious were the same thing to happen here?
I do not know what is happening in the stores.
Is it not the case that because of the total collapse of casein and chocolate crumb manufacture here that the only possible resort of the manufacturers will be to produce even more skim powder than they did last year?
Manufacturers will naturally produce the products that will give the best returns for milk if they are equipped to do so.