asked the Minister for Agriculture if in view of the present uncertainty and anxiety among dairy farmers in the creamery areas regarding the price prospects for milk in the coming season he will make a statement on the subject.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Price of Milk.
3.
The Government propose to maintain the support price for butter which is the main factor determining the price received by producers for milk delivered to creameries. An Bord Bainne is, of course, required under the Dairy Produce Marketing Act, 1961, to make arrangements to meet one-third of the losses on exports of dairy produce.
Does the Minister care to make any comment on the prospects of export markets for dried milk in the context of this reply. He confined his answer to the prospects of the exports of butter.
I did not confine myself to butter. I concluded the reply by saying "An Bord Bainne is, of course, required under the Dairy Produce Marketing Act, 1961, to make arrangements to meet one-third of the losses on exports of dairy produce."
That refers to the losses. I thought the Minister would feel free to go a little further and speak of the prospects of markets being available for dried milk which bear very largely on the prospects of the dairying industry as a whole, knowing, as we do, that there is an apparent world surplus of butter at present.
The Deputy is aware that we are doing everything we possibly can to divert the conversion of milk into channels other than butter. It is not going to be an easy operation and it would not be right to say that there is any long-term certainty as far as the prices of these products are concerned that would be more favourable at any particular stage than would the market for butter.
Nothing in this mortal world in which we live is certain, but would it not be reasonably prudent to say that with the potential markets in the world for dried milk, if we can get access to them, there would be ample ground for the dairying industry planning to expand milk production?
One of the main requirements in diversification is to find it possible to make a link with an organisation that is capable of putting your product on that world market. We have been doing our best in that direction and apart altogether from the financial advantages from time to time of selling dried milk as against butter, diversification is a wise course to take and it is the policy we are pursuing. We can successfully proceed along those lines only when we are able to link up with some organisation that has the contacts and the means of disposing of our products.
If the Minister will not say it, I will—Expansion of milk products in this country is good policy.
I say it myself. I am striving to secure that.
I am glad to hear it, but it nearly choked the Minister to say it.
It did not. I was saying that when the Deputy was trying to reduce the price of milk and literally attempting to drive people out of milk production.
He never reduced the price of calves to 10/-.