asked the Minister for Agriculture if, assuming an average yield per acre, he is in a position to state whether the total acreage of wheat sown this season will give an estimated wheat tonnage which will equal or fall short of the national requirements for the coming year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Wheat Requirements.
Mr. Walsh
From the information at present available, it appears that the out-turn of the 1952 crop will fall considerably short of national requirements for the coming year.
Is the Minister aware that there are a number of people in the country who would have sown wheat if the seed had been available? I know that, in Cork, particularly, a number of people went into seed merchants and could not get their seed requirements. I can tell the Minister that I had great difficulty myself in getting my seed requirements, due to some disagreement between the seed assemblers and the Department.
Mr. Walsh
There was no difficulty whatever regarding requirements of seed this year. As a matter of fact, we had 100,000 barrels, or very near it, left at the end of the season.
The position in Cork— there is no doubt about this; Cork people will tell it to you—is that the seed merchants could have sold a considerably greater quantity of seed wheat than they did, if they had had the supplies. They blame the Departmest for some disagreement between the assemblers and the Department. I personally know a number of farmers who would sown wheat if they could have got seed.
Mr. Walsh
There should have been no difficulty in getting seed, and, as a matter of fact, many of the seed merchants in Cork did get seed.
I will make the Minister a present of this. I went into Messrs. Suttons in Cork and there was no seed available. I went into another firm and ordered a number of barrels of seed wheat and when I sent a lorry in for them, I got half of what I ordered. That is a definite and specific case.
Was it a special variety?
I was not too fussy. As I say, I know a number of people in Cork who would have bought seed and sown wheat this year, if the seed were available. I have given a specific case of my own and I know it has occurred in thousands of other cases.
Mr. Walsh
I will have the matter investigated.
It is too late now.
Mr. Walsh
Even so, I will have it investigated for the purpose of finding out what was the cause of it.
And a bit late to be drawing attention to it.
I drew attention to it here two months ago.
What about the Cork Farmers' Association?
Sir, Deputy McGrath has made a derogatory remark with regard to an association of which I happen to be the secretary.
The only remark the Chair heard was: "What about the Cork Farmers' Association?" I cannot see anything derogatory in asking what about it.
Deputy Lehane has rendered a service to the House by drawing attention to this matter. I hope the Minister will have it investigated quickly.
I should like to make it quite clear to Deputy McGrath and the House that I drew attention to this seed situation at least two months ago and it is on the records of the House.
And nothing was done about it.