The Minister, I expect, will also deny that it was the civil servants who increased the price of butter. I am very glad to see that he has taken full responsibility for that action on himself now. I hope that what I fear will not come to reality. I hope that the Minister's Department is not going to run by itself and that the civil servants will not have complete control. I am very proud and pleased to hear now that the statement made to the effect that it was the civil servants who increased the price of butter on the poor and provided an increase in the price for milk to the dairy farmers is not true and that it was the Minister who did so. The Minister has also assured this House that he did not remain deadly silent during the interview which was mentioned at a recent meeting of the creamery milk suppliers in Limerick. I am very pleased the Minister has taken this opportunity of denying these charges. If what the Minister says is true, and if his statement is to be accepted, I think that an apology should be forthcoming with the least possible delay from Mr. Fletcher and from those who made that statement concerning the Minister.
Can the Minister indicate to this House what plans he has in mind for the development of agriculture? Can the Minister indicate what other plan he has in mind besides the complete elimination of black pigs? Does the Minister himself take the responsibility of ending for all time the population of black pigs in this country—or is he throwing that responsibility on the civil servants? I should be very pleased to hear now whether the decision to eliminate the black pig from this country was made by civil servants or whether it is just another crazy idea which we would expect to come from the people at present occupying the Government Benches. When the Minister comes to give us his reasons for the elimination of the black pig from this country, there is one thing that we can safely say and that is that the Minister finds himself in the position of having to admit that there are pigs in this country.
There have been supplies of pigs for the past three years. The Minister can recall the days—his colleague, the present Minister for Local Government, was then Minister for Agriculture—when bacon in this city and country was only a memory. There were ample supplies of bacon and pigs were plentiful in the past three years. That must be admitted. What plans has the Minister and what statement will he make, when concluding this debate, to indicate that there will be no shortage of bacon at reasonable prices for the people of Dublin? Will he give a guarantee that in the years ahead there will be ample supplies of bacon for everyone who requires it?
I should like to know what changes the Minister has in mind concerning the land rehabilitation project. I should have expected, and anyone would have expected, in view of the opposition that came from this side of the House when Fianna Fáil were in opposition that one of the first acts they would perform would be to eliminate completely the land rehabilitation project despite the fact that it was denied that members of the Fianna Fáil Party bitterly criticised the scheme and warned smallholders and others that if they availed of the land rehabilitation project their rents, rates and taxes would go up sky high.
I should be very pleased to hear what alterations the Minister proposes to make in that scheme in view of the fact that one of the first statements he made at a meeting of the Carlow Committee of Agriculture was that the scheme was a good one but required alterations. We are entitled to know what alterations he proposes to make in that connection. We are entitled to know what the Minister's beliefs are so far as the scheme is concerned. Will the Minister tell the House it was a bad scheme or will he tell the House that it is a good scheme and one which should be encouraged and developed? I would be very anxious to hear from the Minister in that connection.
Has the Minister read the debates on the Estimate for the Department of Agriculture when he was on this side of the House? Apart from reading his own speech, which will be distasteful to him, has the Minister read the speech made by Deputy Moran, the Deputy from South Mayo? Has the Minister ascertained how many cattle died in South Mayo and has he ascertained the cause of death of those cattle? Deputy Moran said in this House six weeks ago that every second beast was falling dead in South Mayo.
I should like to know what the Minister is going to do for the small farmers in South Mayo in this connection. I should like to know whether his advisers have now informed him that not one beast was lost in Mayo; that the statement made by Deputy Moran was a personal statement and a personal attack on Deputy Dillon, the previous Minister for Agriculture; and that there was no foundation whatsoever for the allegations concerning the imaginary, deplorable conditions that existed in South Mayo. I think it is only right that the Minister should present the House with the facts concerning that state of affairs.
Finally, might I ask the Minister to give effect to one of the 17 points, that a measure of co-operation would be provided and support given to develop agriculture? The only one real measure of support in that connection would be to know what the Minister is prepared to do in regard to making loans available to small farmers at cheap rates of interest. It is unnecessary to remind the House that the farming community are a community upon which very great demands are made. They have now to face an increase in the rates of pay of agricultural workers.
I am very pleased to know that the Minister has the question of wheat prices under review and that in the next few weeks he will make an announcement concerning an increase in the price per barrel of wheat. In order to assist the farmers to pay the increased rates of pay given to the agricultural workers—rates of pay which should be further increased—I hope that no time will be lost in having an announcement made to increase the price per barrel for wheat, oats and barley. I hope also that an announcement will be made substantially increasing the prices per ton for beet. I want to be helpful to the Minister. In view of the ever rising cost of living and in view also of the increased cost for the carrying out of repairs to agricultural machinery, I hope the Minister will take steps to ensure that the prices of all agricultural products will be increased forthwith.
I should also like the Minister to make some announcement, one which would be welcomed by the majority of small farmers, concerning what financial scheme he has in mind to enable small farmers to stock their lands. Does the Minister still expect small farmers to have recourse to the Agricultural Credit Corporation or has the Minister any alternative scheme in mind? When a farmer is applying to the Agricultural Credit Corporation for a loan either to assist him in the purchase of live stock or in purchase of machinery, one of the first questions on the application form concerns how much money he has in the bank. Does not the Minister consider that to be a very silly question to ask a farmer who is applying for a loan? I hope so far as the Agricultural Credit Corporation is concerned that we will have a completely reconstructed and more generous scheme whereby small farmers will be able to obtain loans. I hope that the red tape which existed there will be eliminated so far as loans of this kind are concerned. We all know that the banks are very slow to give money to small farmers. The very same guarantees required by the banks are also required by the Agricultural Credit Corporation. Does not the Minister consider it to be very humiliating for a small farmer to have to request his neighbours to sign bank bills? The very same type of procedure exists so far as the Agricultural Credit Corporation is concerned. The same guarantors have to be provided before the farmer can get a loan, even for the purchase of a cow.
When the Minister was on this side of the House he and his colleagues criticised the inter-Party Government for not completely relieving the plight of the small farmer who they said was prevented from taking part in the drive for increased food owing to the lack of capital. Now that Deputy Walsh is Minister for Agriculture, I hope he will take steps to have this deplorable grievance of the small farmers remedied and that an announcement will be made indicating that loans will be made available for all small farmers who require them for the purpose of restocking their lands and assisting them to purchase machinery. It is quite true to say that loans, on which interest at 4 per cent. is charged, are made available by the Agricultural Credit Corporation for the purchase of live stock, manures, seeds, machinery and implements. It is quite true to say that loans are available for the the erection of dwelling-houses, hay barns and other farm outbuildings. We all know that those loans are available, but they are wrapped up in such coils of red tape that it is impossible for the farmers to get at them. The loans are there on paper for the farmers to see, but when farmers go to obtain the loans they have the utmost difficulty in obtaining them. Will the Minister undertake to cut completely the red tape which is standing in the way of farmers availing of the present loan system of the Agricultural Credit Corporation? It might be very interesting to know that the Agricultural Credit Corporation work completely independent of the Minister's Department and independent of this House.