The Vote for the Department of Agriculture in a country such as ours must, I would say, be regarded—apart from the Vote on the Taoiseach's Department which covers policy generally—as the most important and the premier Estimate for the year, and as such one must approach it. Before dealing with any of the aspects of agriculture in detail, I should like to say in a general way that the speakers on the Government side, particularly on this Vote, expect from us a degree of credulity in their apparent simplicity. I could not help admiring the naïveté of Deputy Gibbons who has just spoken and who plaintively asked in relation to the depressed prices available to the agricultural community at the moment, that such misfortune should not be made a political plaything and should not be used to gain political advantage.
Such sentiments are extremely admirable and in fact if put into practice, would be even more admirable still. But those of us with any memory at all cannot forget that the Fianna Fáil Party in asking for such indulgence in Government are departing considerably from the practice in which they indulged so freely when in Opposition. In late 1956, when there was some depression in cattle prices, when economic conditions generally were militating against the Government, there was a howl, not insinuating, but alleging mismanagement under Deputy Dillon, who was then Minister for Agriculture. Those howls alleging that mismanagement came from practically all of the more vocal members of the Fianna Fáil Party then in Opposition.
To-day Deputy Gibbons asks us not to blame the Minister for Agriculture or the Government on any aspect of agricultural administration for the deplorable position in which Ireland's agriculture finds itself to-day. He takes a stand with triplets in his arms, triplets named fungus diseases, unsuitable climatic conditions and grazing conditions which give rise to embarrassment in the cattle trade. I am sure that during the previous Government's administration, one could if one sought hard enough find equally effective excuses—and I hasten to say effective verbally but which on factual examination and closer scrutiny reveal an entirely different situation.
Anybody who at the present time goes through this country, be it either on a political or a business mission, and comes across fair or mart activity, cannot help noticing the atmosphere of near-gloom that prevails at all such gatherings. Not alone in the majority of cases are prices appallingly low but there is a very keen shortage of demand for what the farmers have to offer at the organised fairs and markets. I come from a constituency part of which has very good land and part of which is not so good. The vast majority of it is poor and in the main the holdings are extremely small. In the absence of any earnings either internally or by way of remittances from outside the country, each small holding must pay for the maintenance of the family which lives upon it and must pay for the other outgoings which the head of the house is called upon to meet from time to time.
When we look at the situation in which we find ourselves today in relation to the price obtainable, or the lack of price obtainable, for the commodities which the farmers have to offer we are immediately confronted with the question of how can he meet, or how does he propose to meet, his commitments by way of ordinary maintenance and the outgoings which fall to be met from time to time. I heard Deputy Burke from County Roscommon, which is a comparatively well-off county, say that if the present trend continues—and he is an experienced farmer—in six months' time in Roscommon the financial situation of the farming community will be such that the rate collector will have to depart without the rates.
If that is to be the situation in Roscommon, if the trend continues—and I sincerely hope it will not—what will be the situation in other constituencies with poorer land and smaller holdings? The maintenance costs are the same from the point of view of the purchase of food and clothing. The rates will be somewhat lower, of course, but the income will be correspondingly low in, say, parts of North Mayo in comparison with Roscommon and Kilkenny which is the county Deputy Gibbons comes from.
For some time past this whole question of family emigration has been causing me as well as many other people—I am certain not only on this side, but on the Government side of the House—a considerable amount of agitation. I am certainly perturbed in no small degree and I am being forced to the conclusion that the departure of whole families from small holdings, which is now the new pattern of emigration, is due to the high cost of maintenance, and the high demands in relation to outgoings, as against the depressed prices of the few animals they have for sale from time to time during the course of the year.
Anyone coming from a constituency such as Mayo or any constituency on the coast—and indeed some inland constituencies—is perfectly familiar with the pattern of the economy of small holdings. They sell some dry cattle, change their milch cows, rear a pig or perhaps two or three, keep some poultry to sell either chicks or eggs, but the money they receive from the sale of that livestock goes towards the upkeep of the house and the purchase of food and clothing generally.
It would appear that the gap has become too wide between the income of such holdings in very many cases and what has to be paid out. The struggle to survive has become so great that families have given up and have departed, from the head of the house to the youngest in it. That is an extremely serious situation, even if it happens to only one or two families in one parish, but I have cited here before many such cases in the different parishes of the constituency I represent.
That has a double effect. It is bad nationally and it is bad economically that whatever production there was on those little holdings prior to the families leaving, there is no production on them now. Whatever came into those holdings by way of emigrants' remittances prior to the families leaving no longer counts, so there is a reduction in the income from abroad and a reduction in production at home. In other words, the life blood of the nation is going when these families depart and places are left lying fallow.
Very often there is a third loss to the country in that considerable sums of money have been spent on housing grants and drainage, or there may have been other subventions from the State which have now gone for nothing in the case of these people. That is a situation about which neither the Government nor the Opposition can be complacent. It is a situation which calls for urgent attention, and unless that attention is urgently given, I am afraid the trend which Deputy Burke from Roscommon anticipates may well continue, and we shall be left with a situation with which it will be very difficult to deal.
I strongly hold the view that this Government wasted time in relation to trade pacts with other countries—not only Britain but other countries—and were utterly devoid of any plan or concept for the future development of agriculture or for keeping in line with the developments taking place all over Europe and, indeed, all over the world, in the different aspects of economics. While it has been said by other speakers, I want to say again that that waste of time took place principally during the foolish campaign, against proportional representation which this Government indulged in for well-high over a year during which the efforts of Parliament, councils, debating societies, and public men were all wasted. Their minds, energies, and attention, were all diverted into channels of thought of no economic consequence and when we suddenly woke up, having saved the system of voting, we found that as a nation we had lost.
While all that was happening the Danes, the New Zealanders, the Argentinians, and, in fact, anyone who had anything to offer in the way of agricultural produce in the British market, had been in Britain, holding their councils and gaining advantages which would have been ours had the Government been sufficiently alive to the necessity for watching the market—the market that is closest to us and the market upon which our survival as an agricultural community depends. I think that that is accepted now, at this late hour, by even the Fianna Fáil Party.
There is one aspect of agricultural development in which I am particularly interested. If it is the intention to develop an export market—I do not want to be taken now as opposed to industrial development in what I am going to say—the one that should be developed is the one based on the raw material available at home. In that context I refer in particular to the rearing of sheep, Not alone has the sheep industry a tremendous carcase value from the point of view of human consumption, at home and abroad, but there are tremendous possibilities in the wool end of the industry. There are markets for knitwear and tweeds.
I suggest to the Minister that he should collaborate with his colleagues, the Minister for Industry and Commerce and the Minister for the Gaeltacht. I direct his attention and theirs to the huge market available in Africa, not to mention others that are there, ready and waiting for development. This is a line of country which would be of assistance to our people in those areas where they need most help— around the mountains, and hillsides and commonages along the north-west, the west, and the south-west coast, where sheep can be profitably raised and where it is essential there should be available to the people all the advice and assistance necessary to enable them to go in for sheep farming in a big way by suitable breeding. All the advice necessary is available from the wool merchants and the manufacturers of tweed. They give it to me. I am sure they would be only too delighted to give it to the Minister.
I have received numerous complaints about the delay in the sanction of farm buildings, the provision of water supplies, and all the kindred projects and amenities that should be available to the people through the special section of the Department of Agriculture set up to deal with these matters. There is, too, complaint in relation to the slowness of the grants. I do not know why that should be. I do not know the reason for it. Perhaps the Minister will explain the position and give an assurance that avoidable delay will not occur in the future. That will remove some of the burden of complaint from the people. There are also complaints about the situation with regard to seed potatoes. The system seems to have fallen down completely.
I note there is to be a new board in relation to the bacon industry, which will deal with the centralisation of markets for bacon. That may, or may not, be a good thing. There was a very good board which dealt with the export of eggs. That was abolished by the present Government. Now it is being brought back again.
In agriculture the most important thing is the development and promotion of markets. In Great Britain I meet people from time to time—not in London, but in other heavy centres of population—who would be glad to get Irish butter, Irish bacon, Irish eggs. They do not seem to be available to them. Sooner or later there will have to be a fresh attack made in the direction and development of pig rearing, pig breeding, and bacon production generally. That may cost money. It will certainly require dynamic organisation on the part of the Department of Agriculture. It will also require a psychological approach to imbue our people with the need for long-term planning. If we have a year in which a particular commodity fails, we are very prone, I think, as a people to dodge that commodity the next year. The agricultural community will have to be trained in the idea that things must be done, that they must plan on a long-term basis, and work hard; above all, they must be prepared to take the good year with the bad.
On the question of markets and market organisation, at the beginning of this Government's term of office, the Minister for Finance announced jubilantly, and the announcement was received with a matching jubilation by his own Party, that £250,000 was being set aside for the development of markets. We have not heard very much about that £250,000 since. We have not heard how much has been spent or the manner in which it was spent. Perhaps the Minister might deal with that matter when he comes to reply and tell us something more about it.
I want now to pay tribute to those who operate the peatlands project at Glenamoy. This project, as the House is aware, was substituted for the mad programme, which is being reintroduced in another part of my constituency now on a political rather than an economic basis, of growing grass on blanket bog for conversion into grass meal. Peatlands is a very worthy institution. It is admirably run. Curiously enough, from what I see and from what I hear, everything that is grown there experimentally seems to be meeting with a considerable degree of success except grass. I shall have more to say about that later.
On the question of the eradication of bovine T.B., I am not prepared to deal with the niceties of the situation, but I have one comment to make which, I think, supports comments made on both sides in relation to administrative detail. It is not unusual for me, or for other Deputies, to receive letters something after this fashion: "I applied some six, nine, or twelve months ago to have my cattle tested and so far nobody has come near me." That is probably something that could be dealt with in a very simple way. The situation could, I think, be put right.
The drive to complete the eradication of bovine tuberculosis should be intensified and the House should be willing to give even more money for it, if it is sought, in order to bring our cattle into line with the healthy condition of cattle obtaining in the markets in which we seek to sell and, in addition to that, to have us ready for whatever sort of trade alignment will follow in Europe, whether in two blocs, one bloc or in whatever number of blocs they ultimately align themselves.
I do not think there is really very much the Minister can do, even in response to the exhortation of Deputy Gibbons, to try to settle the differences between cattle dealers who favour the fair green idea and those who want to have marts. I for one, certainly would not favour the regulation of the building of marts, or their running under licence from the Minister for Agriculture or any other Minister. If they are to be white elephants, as Deputy Gibbons fears, let them. The people who are building them are doing it with their eyes open. They are doing it by way of ordinary commercial enterprise, and to bring them within the purview of the Department of Agriculture, by way of licence or otherwise, would be a dangerous step. In any event, it would be a great interference with the exercise of people's free will, especially in relation to the use of their own private property and their own money.
A commendable feature of Irish agricultural life has been the development of voluntary organisations such as the National Farmers' Association, Muintir na Tíre, the Irish Country-women's Association and such like institutions. Very rightly, Deputy Sweetman deplored the attempt of any political Party to take over these organisations. It would be the end of their usefulness and effectiveness if they allowed themselves to be monopolised and their objectives obscured by becoming strangled by any one political Party. By all means members of these voluntary organisations should, and must, hold their own political views, and air them within the ranks of their own political Parties, but at different meetings, and while in voluntary organisations they should work together for the common good.
I do not think that the recent trade agreement with Britain is as good as some people make it out to be. It is not right that members of the Government should be making utterances that show a complacency which disregards the facts, and I cannot reconcile what people told me, at any fair or market which I visited in the past year, with statements made by members of the Government saying that the trend is satisfactory, that prosperity is around the corner and that we are now beginning to find ourselves on a firm footing. Such statements may be all right in preaching to the unrepentant converted, but to try to tell people who are in process of packing their little belongings, locking the doors of their houses and departing with their whole families, probably for ever, that the trend is satisfactory and that prosperity is around the corner is not alone a great betrayal of the people's trust but a magnificent contempt for their intelligence.
