asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to plans to import Australian beef and cheese into the EEC, and, if so, the quantities of each product involved.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - EEC Imports from Australia.
3.
At its meeting on 3 April the Council agreed on a package which would enable the Commission to conclude negotiations in the multilateral trade negotiations. The results of the negotiations were duly initialled by most of the industrialised countries on 12 April. Some outstanding negotiations remain to be completed including those between the Community and Australia.
While the package submitted to the Council included concessions for Australian beef and cheese, the actual granting of these concessions will depend on overall agreement being reached with Australia. In these circumstances the Deputy will no doubt appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to indicate the quantities of each product involved and to do so could even be detrimental to the negotiating position of the Commission.
Would the Minister indicate what position he has taken on behalf of Ireland towards this proposal?
I and my colleagues in Government have very strongly and consistently resisted any undue concessions to Australia, particularly in relation to beef and cheese. As a consequence of that, I and my colleagues have received certain assurances at this preliminary stage in relation to strengthening in particular the cheese production area in this country. This is not as yet the final position because negotiations are still being conducted. We have not as yet had to adopt a final position.
I take it the Minister is aware that the total quantity of cheese imports from third countries, presumably including Australia, is, according to the Minister for Agriculture, set at a figure of 340,000 tonnes. Can we take it that this figure will not be greater as a result of these negotiations?
I cannot at this stage give any indication in relation to figures such as the Deputy has mentioned or any other figure. The multilateral trade negotiations in the GATT are matters in which the Irish Government have a real and positive interest. The liberalisation of trade can only be to our benefit overall. We have always taken that position. If there are one or two areas on which we have been holding out in the overall package, I can assure the Deputy we will look firmly to the Irish interest in these as in other areas.
Particularly in regard to cheese and other dairy products, does it not appear to the Minister to be the utmost insanity to continue to import from third countries a commodity of which we are capable of producing far too much and a great deal of which we practically give away for nothing at the end of the day? Surely there is some madness in adding to the 340,000 tonnes or even containing imports within that figure?
While I do not want to become involved in figures, I can assure the Deputy that the figure he mentions is way out of line.
No, it is not.
As far as I am aware, it is out of line with any figures which have been made available.
It is on the record of the House. The insanity still exists and the tonnage can only be used as a measure of that insanity. It does not make sense to ordinary mortals like myself that we should be importing a commodity which we are over-producing and selling at a loss.
It is not a question of our importing, as the Deputy seems to imply, something which we are already over-producing. That has never arisen. I repeat very clearly that the whole package in the GATT, if it emerges as we have insisted it should, will be very much in Ireland's national interest and should be seen in that context.
The Minister should check with his colleague.