What the Deputy has said is partly correct. There was a previous decision to set up a plant at Cratloe and a site was purchased for that purpose. There was very considerable disagreement on this and where the supplies would come from for it. I had numerous meetings in the Department with the suppliers from Clare and Limerick. In fact, I had a number of meetings at which public representatives from all parties were present. My only concern was that the decision the producers wanted was eventually arrived at. It was their decision that the right thing to do was to sell the properties of the Dairy Disposal Company in Clare and Limerick to Golden Vale who purchased them on the assumption of getting a certain supply of milk. Since that time they have lost 18 million gallons of their normal supplies which have by-passed Golden Vale plants. In these circumstances it was extremely difficult for them to maintain the same level of employment.
As we have seen quite recently in the papers and through other channels it was necessary for them to make the sort of rationalisation they have set out on. A number of the people employed have accepted conditions for retirement and have not seriously objected to them. I do not think anybody wants to see people become redundant but in the case of this society it was felt, if they were to remain in existence, that this was the only thing that could give them continued viability, that these reductions had to take place more especially when the milk was diverted elsewhere. This is happening in a year when milk production has already gone up 8.4 per cent.