Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 28 Mar 1944

Vol. 93 No. 4

Written Answers. - Butter and Margarine Production.

Donnchadh O Briain

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state for each of the years 1911-1943 in respect of farmers' butter (a) the total estimated production; (b) total home consumption, and (c) total exports.

Mr. Lemass

The statistics required are not available for all the years specified in the question. In the following table particulars of production are given for each agricultural year, beginning on 1st June of the year specified, for which an estimate of agricultural output was made. Particulars of exports are given for each of the years 1924-38 inclusive, the former being the first year for which these statistics were compiled and for reasons of public policy statistics of exports for individual commodities are not being published since August, 1939. Exports of farmers' butter, as shown in the table, include exports of factory butter. Total home consumption is taken as total production less total exports. Exports of farmers' butter include exports of factory butter.

(A) Total Production, (B) Total Home Consumption and (C) Total Exports of Farmers' Butter.

Year	(A) Total Production	(B) Total Home Consumption	(C) Total Exports†
	cwts.
1924	*	*	51,922
1925	*	*	122,553
1926	640,000	496,000	143,750
1927	*	*	166,445
1928	*	*	153,300
1929	567,000	433,000	134,203
1930	*	*	135,500
1931	*	*	113,708
1932	*	*	83,709
1933	*	*	52,626
1934	463,000	410,000	53,478
1935	446,000	388,000	57,826
1936	426,000	368,000	57,933
1937	452,000	405,000	46,538
1938	452,000	402,000	49,831
1939	480,000	*	*
1940	438,000	*	*
1941	454,000	*	*
1942	436,000	*	*

* Not available. † Including factory butter.

Donnchadh O Briain

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state for each of the years 1911 to 1943 (a) total production of factory butter; (b) total home consumption; (c) total exports.

Mr. Lemass

The statistics required are not available for all the years specified in the question. In the following table particulars of total quantity manufactured are given for each of the years for which a census of industrial production was taken. Particulars of exports are given for each of the years 1924 to 1938 inclusive, the former being the first year for which these statistics were compiled and for reasons of public policy statistics of exports for individual commodities are not being published since August, 1939. Total home consumption is taken as total production less total exports.

(A) Total Production, (B) Total Home Consumption and (C) Total Exports of Factory Butter, 1924-42.

Year	(A) Total Production	(B) Total Home Consumption	(C) Total Exports
	cwts.
1924	*	*	32,900
1925	*	*	110,237
1926	149,465	14,287	135,178
1927	*	*	159,433
1928	*	*	147,872
1929	167,490	36,584	130,906
1930	*	*	132,684
1931	125,520	14,068	111,452
1932	*	*	82,004
1933	*	*	51,732
1934	*	*	52,606
1935	*	*	56,833
1936	76,636	19,581	57,055
1937	69,243	23,785	45,458
1938	69,616	20,629	48,987
1939	56,146	*	*
1940	42,050	*	*
1941	49,858	*	*
1942	37,450	*	*

* Not available.

Donnchadh O Briain

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state for each of the years 1911-1943 in respect of margarine (a) the total quantity manufactured here; (b) total home consumption; (c) total exports; (d) total imports.

Mr. Lemass

The statistics required are not available for all the years specified in the question. In the following table particulars of total quantity manufactured are given for each of the years for which a census of industrial production was taken. Particulars of trade are given for each of the years 1924-1938, inclusive, the former being the first year for which the statistics were compiled and for reasons of public policy trade statistics for individual commodities are not being published since August, 1939. Total home consumption is taken as total quantity manufactured, together with total imports less total exports, since statistics of the stocks at the beginning and end of each year are not available.

Margarine, 1924-1943: (a) Total quantity manufactured, (b) Total home consumption, (c) Total exports, and (d) Total imports.

Year	(A) Total quantity Manufactured	(B) Total Home Consumption	(C) Total Exports	(D) Total Imports
Cwt.
1924	*	*	59,338	50,565
1925	*	*	60,312	52,941
1926	81,368	83,603	48,375	50,610
1927	*	*	15,648	52,706
1928	*	*	16,340	1,138
1929	117,154	96,693	21,408	947
1930	*	*	18,635	359
1931	88,985	70,160	18,894	69
1932	*	*	14,706	112
1933	*	*	7,718	18
1934	*	*	5,098	37
1935	*	*	6,592	20
1936	95,275	87,513	7,786	24
1937	100,595	92,843	7,782	30
1938	103,283	92,075	11,246	38
1939	116,395	*	*	*
1940	123,008	*	*	*
1941	75,910	*	*	*
1942	†	*	*	*
1943	†	*	*	*

* Not available: see introductory Note.

† No production.

Donnchadh O Briain

asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state in respect of each of the years 1911-1943 (a) the average price per cwt. received for butter by creameries; (b) the average yearly price per gallon paid by creameries for milk delivered by suppliers; and (c) the total number of (1) milch cows, and (2) heifers in calf as on June 1st.

Dr. Ryan

The required particulars are as follows:—

	(a)	(b)	(c)
Year	Average price per cwt. received for butter by creameries	Average yearly price per gallon paid by creameries for milk delivered by suppliers	Total number of (1) milch cows and (2) heifers in-calf as on June 1st in each year
(1)	(2)
	s.	d.	d.
1911	115	0	4.49	1,188,050	79,815
1912	115	2	4.58	1,219,204	73,886
1913	113	0	4.41	1,241,687	58,405
1914	116	10	4.60	1,256,700	72,795
1915	146	7	5.69	1,227,990	69,023
1916	171	2	6.84	1,235,231	77,179
1917	201	5	8.34	1,231,072	71,839
1918	244	6	10.02	1,213,296	59,449
1919	284	6	11.61	1,210,679	78,268
1920	335	6	13.33	1,224,382	98,958
1921	215	6	8.29	1,278,026	100,980
1922	193	0	7.33	1,289,407	103,492
1923	170	0	6.51	1,269,431	107,189
1924	194	10	7.54	1,261,452	103,435
1925	193	1	7.38	1,183,456	80,912
1926	161	7	6.13	1,183,802	97,986
1927	162	8	6.30	1,234,242	97,098
1928	170	3	6.58	1,230,606	83,350
1929	166	9	6.54	1,227,015	79,522
1930	126	1	4.87	1,224,553	86,572
1931	121	3	4.47	1,222,297	78,132
1932	120	6	4.53	1,229,995	67,581
1933	104	10	4.12	1,268,488	69,724
1934	105	0	4.07	1,308,857	75,112
1935	110	10	4.31	1,331,689	68,742
1936	116	10	4.62	1,348,625	62,735
1937	121	3	4.84	1,304,491	57,417
1938	136	8	5.48	1,281,852	64,023
1939	149	11	5.93	1,260,187	83,810
1940	156	9	6.25	1,229,520	84,559
1941	165	4	6.74	1,213,509	95,237
1942	199	1	8.25	1,206,358	93,703
1943	not yet available	not yet available	1,202,034	103,055

The figures given in columns (a) and (b) for the years prior to 1924 relate to all Ireland. The figures for subsequent years relate to the State only.

Donnchadh O Briain

asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state in respect of each of the years 1911-1943 (a) the total production of creamery butter; (b) total imports of butter; (c) total home consumption; and (d) total exports.

Dr. Ryan

The required particulars, as far as they are available, are shown in the following table. As regards (a) and (c) particulars are given for each of the years for which they are available; as regards (b) and (d) particulars are given for each year from 1924 to 1938, the former being the first year for which trade statistics were compiled. For reasons of public policy trade statistics for individual commodities have not been published since August, 1939.

	(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)
Year	Production of creamery butter	Imports of butter	Consumption of creamery butter	Exports of butter (Creamery and noncreamery)
	cwt.	cwt.	cwt.	cwt.
1924	Not available	78,472	Not available	457,024
1925	,,	84,606	,,	401,559
1926	567,665	58,743	,,	500,887
1927	651,327	43,825	,,	585,501
1928	650,241	52,795	,,	559,134
1929	707,141	40,545	,,	560,482
1930	690,586	30,279	,,	524,692
1931	608,361	29,682	,,	377,742
1932	610,561	23,502	337,847	329,745
1933	678,202	194	338,000	403,858
1934	769,293	740	324,566	507,912
1935	827,745	363	351,944	530,978
1936	837,879	88	371,994	518,152
1937	758,332	13,077	399,388	379,925
1938	766,460	5,753	435,431	377,467
1939	718,279	Not published	452,812	Not published
1940	657,956	,,	477,937	,,
1941	663,787	,,	486,220	,,
1942	614,994	,,	612,744	,,
1943	599,650	,,	607,466	,,