Vol. 99 No. 4
I move:
That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft:
Pigs and Bacon Act, 1935 (Part II) (No. 9) Regulations, 1982 and
Agricultural Produce (Fresh Meat) Act, 1930 (Exporter's Licences) (Fees) (No. 2) Regulations, 1982
copies of which were laid in draft before the Seanad on the 14th day of December, 1982.
I should like to welcome the Minister of State to the House.
Thank you. Fees are payable to the Department of Agriculture in respect of cattle, horses, sheep and pigs presented for veterinary inspection at meat factories under the Fresh Meat Acts and the Pigs and Bacon Acts. The present rates of fees are quite inadequate to meet the cost of the veterinary inspection service provided by my Department. The cost of providing these services has increased sharply in recent years. This is mainly attributable to increased salaries and inflation as well as to some expansion in the industry and increased diversification. The previous Government decided that these fees should be brought more into line with the cost of the service and had in fact made provision accordingly in the Appropriations-in-Aid of the Estimate for Agriculture for 1983.
The draft regulations now before the House propose to raise the fee for cattle from £1.75 to £2.20 per head, for sheep from 30p to 38p per head and for horses from £1.75 to £2.20 per head. For pigs the proposal is to increase the fee from 50p to 72p. This will bring receipts more into line with the true cost of the inspection service in that area.
On the basis of the rates proposed the receipts will be £3.4 million in a full year while the cost of the meat service is estimated at £5.4 million. I propose to bring the increases into effect on 1 January 1983. It is my intention to increase correspondingly the fees in respect of veterinary inspection of live animals as from the same date.
The main business in this House today was to welcome new Ministers. This year must have been an all time record for the House with two general elections being held. I want to give a very special welcome to Deputy Hegarty, Minister of State. I have known him for many years not only in politics but outside it also. Both of us were in a few farming organisations together down through the years. I am quite sure that the fact that we were in those farm organisations helped us in no small way when we became politicians. At the time I knew the Minister fairly well he had the shoe on the other foot, and he was fighting hard for farming organisations. I hope that now he is in the driving seat he will continue his efforts on behalf of all farmers and farming organisations.
Quite a lot could be said for and against the motion before us. In recent days I had not much time to study the new orders, but I know the IFA and other organisations have protested against the increased fees. All I can say is that, while I do not welcome the order, I am prepared to raise no objection to it going through the House tonight.
What is proposed here by the Minister is a reasonable compromise. What has been proposed is an increase of about 25 per cent in the fees. This still will not meet the full cost of the service. He has tempered justice with a slight amount of mercy in this regard and the House should accept the proposal.
