asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on any recent discussions he had with members of the French Government regarding the adverse effects on Irish lamb producers of the raising of the variable levy against Irish lamb entering the French market; and whether the French Government representatives held out any hope of their markets for lamb being opened to Irish lamb during this year's summer and autumn months without the existing or a higher levy.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - French Market for Lamb.
37.
(Cavan): The Government have been pressing the French Government to keep the French market open to Irish exports of sheep meat. As he explained in his reply to a similar question on 10th April, the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries has made our position very clear in bilateral contacts with his French colleague. When the Minister for Foreign Affairs visited France last month during the State visit by the President he naturally took the opportunity to remind the French Government of our concern at the effect of the French import system on Irish producers. For the moment the situation remains as explained by the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries on 10th April but consultations are continuing with the French Government in an effort to find a satisfactory solution to the problem.
Having regard to the fact that the Dublin Summit presided over by the Taoiseach agreed to the extension of imports of lamb from New Zealand into the United Kingdom to the extent of about a quarter-of-a-million tons per year, would the Minister not agree that this will greatly prejudice the export prospects of Irish lamb? The quantity which Irish sheep owners are hoping to export to France will be in the neighbourhood of only 5,000 of 6,000 tons? The action of the Dublin Summit presided over the Taoiseach probably makes that position even worse.
(Cavan): I do not agree with that.
What part does the Minister not agree with?
(Cavan): The Government are very conscious of the difficulty this presents.
The Taoiseach presided over the giving of a quota of another quarter of a million tons per year for the next three years to New Zealand.
(Cavan): That is a separate question.
It is exactly the same question.
(Cavan): The Treaty of Accession reserved to the French——
Until 1978.
(Cavan):——the right to do what they are doing.
It did not.
(Cavan): We have been working on this since we came into office. As I am sure the Deputy appreciates, the biggest difficulty is that the British Government are also involved. In fact, they are a bigger supplier of sheep meat to France than we are.
Because they import New Zealand lamb.
We cannot have an argument at Question Time.
(Cavan): Nothing can be done about it at the moment without the agreement of the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, who is working as hard as he can.
Would the Minister not accept that the extension of the importation time for New Zealand by a further three years is prejudicial to the Irish lamb export trade in that it affords the British lamb producers an opportunity to export their lambs. The Minister is showing that the Government do not understand the problem.
(Cavan): I do not intend to get into an argument. If the Deputy wishes he can put down another question to the Minister concerned and he will answer it.
The Minister has not got the facts to back his case.
(Cavan): The Deputy knows perfectly well that I am answering for another Minister. It would be unreasonable to expect that I would have full knowledge of this.
In those circumstances the Minister's colleague should have given him a full brief. I am not blaming the Minister personally.
Postpone the questions until the Minister's colleague is available.
In view of the fact that this sheep meat trade in Europe has been causing such havoc to the sheep owners and the people who process sheep meat, and also in view of the fact that Commissioner Lardinois said in the European Parliament that he hoped to have proposals before the Parliament last June, would the Minister not request the Commission to have a common agricultural policy on sheep?
(Cavan): The Government pressed for this as recently as 15th April.
This question deals with the French Government. The Chair is not allowing any further supplementaries. Question No. 38.