asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will withdraw his Department's directive to ACOT on the phasing out of advisory services in amenity horticulture, farm home management and poultry.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Directive to ACOT.
30.
Mr. Leonard
The decision to phase out these services was taken by the previous Government in the context of the Estimates for 1983. In view of the continuing difficult budgetary situation I can hold out no prospect that the decision can be reversed.
Mr. Leonard
Is the Minister aware of the effects this will have, especially in County Monaghan where we have two ACOT poultry advisers? There is a £40 million industry in Monaghan and we have only two poultry instructors. Is he aware that we are importing 30 per cent of our eggs and 20 per cent of poultry meat? Is he further aware that the Department claim they are phasing out the advisory service because commercial groupings had their own service? Is the Minister aware that advisers are required by the small producers in Monaghan where upwards of 200 people are producing anything from 100 to 1,000 turkeys per year for the Christmas trade? If those producers were not there, there would have been many people left without a turkey last Christmas because there was a scarcity.
I have no pleasure in announcing news of this kind. It was a difficult decision to make but, when you consider our financial situation, I did not have many options. I had to add considerably to the cuts that have already taken place in my Department and I do not think there is any item about which I have had more representations from Members of this House than the cut-backs in this service. There have been just as many from my own backbenchers as from the Opposition. It is not a palatable decision but it has been made. We have asked the ACOT board if they would look at the situation to see if they can make savings so that they could retain some of these people and part of the services involved.
Mr. Leonard
Is the Minister aware that horticulture is another area which is crying out for development? From 1973 to 1980 we increased our imports of frozen vegetables from £1 million to £12½ million. The importation of vegetables, other than frozen, is also increasing. I would ask him to reverse his decision and to provide additional advisory services in that field.
We have endeavoured to eliminate any redundancies where commercial activities are involved.