andMr. Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a statement on the bilateral agreement between France and a non-EEC country regarding the importation of sheep and on how it will affect this country's sheep industry.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sheep Industry.
15.
The Deputies are presumably referring to recent reports of an increase in the quota in respect of live sheep imported into France from Poland. It is correct that the annual quota was recently increased from 30,000 head to 45,000 head.
I cannot see that this quota increase will have any effect on our domestic sheep industry. Our real difficulty on the French market is the restraints placed on our exports of carcase lamb through the system of threshold prices and import levies. These are now at such a high rate that our exports of carcase lamb to France have almost ceased. Rectification of this situation can most effectively be brought about by the adoption of a Community common organisation of the market for sheep and sheepmeat. As the Deputies are aware, I have been pressing this issue continuously over the last two years the latest occasion being last month's meeting of the Council of Ministers. As a result, further discussions between representatives of the Council, the Commission and the member states have been set up in Brussels over the last couple of weeks with the object of devising acceptable proposals. These discussions are continuing.