asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state whether, with a view to bringing the greatest possible quantity of farmers' butter into the butter pool available for distribution under the ration scheme, he will take steps to provide such subsidy for farmers' butter of good quality as will secure therefor a return equal to that now in operation for the creamery-produced article.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farmers' Butter.
The Deputy has no doubt seen the recent Press announcement by my Department in which it was stated that arrangements were being made to enable the proprietors of registered butter factories to purchase non-creamery butter of good quality at the price of 2/11 per lb., i.e., approximately the current value of creamery butter. This arrangement will involve payment of a subsidy, which will be provided by the Exchequer, to enable such non-creamery butter acquired by the factories as is suitable for domestic use to be retailed at the statutory price of 2/8 per lb.
Will the Minister say whether he considers that there is either equity or justice in this proposal? Why should he differentiate in the treatment as between one section of the community and another? Is the Minister aware that there is butter produced privately at least equal in quality and, in my opinion, superior to creamery butter? Does he feel that by offering a subsidy of 3d. for the private production of butter as against 8¼d. for creamery production he will encourage butter to be sold in a legitimate way? Does he not realise that this will drive butter into the black market?
The Minister is aware that the price being offered to the home-producer of butter is almost exactly the same as for creamery butter, in fact, with a little leaning on the side of the home-produced butter, when creamery production costs are taken into account, and the Minister is aware, as is the Deputy, I am sure, that when this butter is purchased by the factories it needs to be processed there also and that those who process it will also have to get their overheads and their profits. The House, I am sure, is aware that, even after that has been done, provision will have to be made for the wholesale and retail profits, should any of it be available for distribution in the ordinary fashion.
Does the Minister realise that he is casting a great reflection on a great many housewives who are first-class butter makers and that he will destroy the art of butter-making by suggesting that all the privately produced butter should be dumped into the factories to be reprocessed there?
The Deputy realises as well as I do that a good deal of thought has been given to this matter in an effort to find some method by which the situation might be met. A good deal of thought has been given to it by my officials and by myself in an effort to find a more suitable procedure.
Because of the unsatisfactory nature of the Minister's reply, I propose to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
Shame? More black marketing.
I should like to point out to the Minister that the agents for the purchase of butter are mostly from the province of Munster. Will he make arrangements to have these agents visit towns in the Leinster counties in order to collect supplies of butter? It would be necessary for the Minister to take an interest in that matter. I have been asked by some of my constituents to suggest the advisability of agents visiting parts of my constituency for the purchase of home-made butter.
The proprietors of the different factories are willing to establish agencies at any point in any part of the country where they will be assured of supplies of butter.
As regards the supplies of home-made butter in my constituency, the proprietors might not consider it worth while to appoint an agent. The amount of home-made butter in Kildare is comparatively small. I think the Minister would need to take some particular interest in the matter, because the butter buyers may not think it worth while to appoint agents.
I have no doubt the Deputy has seen the announcement in the Press in which the butter manufacturers invite all those who are prepared to sell their butter to communicate with them. They have invited communications from areas where they are likely to find butter in reasonable quantities, and they have announced their willingness to establish agencies at these points.
Will butter be taken from North Leinster and brought to South Munster for processing? If so, will that not add unnecessarily to the cost?
Everybody knows that there is no means by which this scheme can be operated unless through some such agency. There is no means by which farmers' butter can be handled other than that.
Than by being sent to Cork?
There is no means other than being handled by some central organisation. The butter manufacturers have their factories located in Cork and I am not responsible for that.
Is the Minister suggesting that there is no privately produced butter in this country that is not of such a quality that it has first to be processed in a factory before it can be used?
The Minister is not suggesting anything of the sort.
It is in the scheme.
There is no other scheme possible.
Is it not a fact that that processing of home-produced butter has been carried on in Cork for the past 40 or 50 years?
They never bought a pound of first-quality butter.