asked the Minister for Agriculture if, having regard to the disparity in price between this country and England for limestone flour and to the big demand amongst farmers for this fertiliser, he will restore the subsidy which was in operation up to 1948 in order to enable farmers to purchase this commodity at an economic price.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Subsidy on Limestone Flour.
I do not intend to recommend any subsidy on ground limestone because as a result of encouragement given to private enterprise we have succeeded in creating supplies of ground limestone in Ireland at a price per ton lower than in any other country in Europe.
Ground limestone is available at 15/per ton at the quarry from some suppliers and at 16/- per ton at the quarry from other suppliers at the present time. The corresponding price in Great Britain is certainly no lower if it is not higher.
Ground limestone delivered and spread at the rate of two tons per acre costs 26/- per ton within ten miles of the quarry in Ireland and 1/- per ton for each additional five miles up to 40 miles. The corresponding rate in Great Britain is 29/4 and I believe that in addition a very large subsidy is payable to the distributor. Ground limestone delivered in 20 ton lots in bulk by road is available at 30/- per ton up to 100 miles from the quarry in Ireland and proportionately less for shorter distances. In Great Britain the charge is at least 36/6 80 miles from the quarry and the vendor also receives a substantial subsidy.
It will be therefore seen, particularly in view of our past experience in subsidising ground limestone, that far from reducing the cost to the farmer the giving of subsidies on this product has invariably tended to increase the farmer's cost.
The question I asked did not refer especially to ground limestone but to limestone flour.
And does the Deputy include in that burned lime? The ground limestone here referred to, I can assure the Deputy, is for all agricultural purposes in Ireland the perfectly adequate vehicle of calcium for the land and the additional cost of drying pulverised limestone for the purpose of reducing it to the degree of fineness which the Deputy designates by the word "flour" is in my judgment an uneconomic operation and unnecessary from the point of view of restoring alkaline balance to the soil.
Is the Minister aware that this flour was subsidised up to last year?
Many follies were perpetrated up to last year.
Deputies
Oh.
I will give the Deputy the figures if you say much more.