Vol. 308 No. 7
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of the serious plight within the meat processing industry in general; if he is aware of the present situation in a factory (details supplied) in Dublin, which is working at only 60 per cent of its slaughtering capacity; and the measures he has taken to ensure that the maximum number of jobs are created in this country from the cattle industry, including the jobs derived from food processing.
438.
asked the Minister for Agriculture the steps he has taken to ensure that the number of jobs in the meat processing industry have been increased; and if he will supply details of where such new jobs have been provided.
439.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he has received representations from a meat plant (details supplied) in Dublin regarding the prospects for job creation in this plant; and the specific action he proposes to take arising out of those representations.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 to 439, inclusive, together.
Slaughterings of cattle at licensed meat export premises up to 14 October this year, at 871,000, are running 30,000 above the corresponding period of last year and are at the highest level in any year except 1975—a year in which stocks were run down very heavily. The position varies, of course, from factory to factory depending on their efficiency in keeping down costs, arranging for procurement of cattle and developing market outlets. I have received representations on behalf of workers at the meat plant to which the Deputy refers about the employment situation there and I should say that slaughterings at that meat plant are nearly 2,000 head up on last year.
Live exports of 306,000 store and fat cattle in the period January to September 1978 are up about 15 per cent on the same period of 1977 but are still well below the levels prevailing a few years ago. These have, of course, taken place without the aid of incentives which are not already available to the meat export trade. It can be said in regard to the bulk of these live exports that the animals do not reach our factories because the factories are not competing effectively in price with the live exporters for them.
In addition to these exports, an export trade in calves, mainly to Italy, has developed. I do not like this trade, which is taking raw material from everybody concerned with cattle and the building up of the national herd—store cattle producers, fatteners, meat factories, local butchers and even the traditional live export trade in adult cattle. I am having the whole position examined to see what action can be taken, within the constraints imposed by EEC law, to ensure that this trade, which is currently running at about 7 per cent of our output of calves, can be kept within acceptable levels.
My policy about live exports generally is to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, our cattle are processed in Ireland and so create the maximum employment here. It must, however, be appreciated that under EEC law it is not permissible to apply quantitative controls, levies or other restrictive measures on exports of live animals.
Finally, the meat export trade have been pressing for the correction of a number of anomalies which they claim have been making carcase beef exports more attractive than exports of beef cuts. The most important of these anomalies was satisfactorily resolved as part of the agricultural price arrangements negotiated earlier this year. I am confident that the remainder, which are being actively considered by the EEC Commission at my request, will be disposed of before very long.
