asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware that many farmers disposed of, as unmillable, large quantities of last season's wheat on the basis of reports from the Central Laboratory that the maltose content of samples of the grain sent to the Laboratory exceeded the minimum allowed; that there was subsequently a correction of 0.6 per cent in the laboratory determination of maltose content; and that the error has resulted in serious financial loss to farmers; and whether he proposes to do anything about the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Losses on Wheat.
21.
I understand that a correction factor of 0.6 per cent, as untimately decided on by the Central Wheat Laboratory, was retrospectively applied to samples of wheat rejected on grounds of maltose content and the subject of appeal to the laboratory. I have received no representations regarding losses as alleged by the Deputy.
Is the Minister aware that before a farmer appealed his sample, he had to put some wheat down a spout at the intake point and that the farmers did not put in all their wheat of a certain quality? They put in a small quantity, holding a lot of it back to see if it would pass on appeal. This wheat was then sold at unmillable prices.
I understand that that wheat was sold at the price which was determined on appeal.
If the Minister were a wheat farmer and had 200 barrels of a certain quality, would he put all the 200 barrels down the unmillable spout on appeal? Would he not put down ten barrels and hold the other 190?
It was on the quality of the sample that the price was fixed.
If the result from the sample was wrong, the farmer then had to dispose of the whole lot as unmillable and at a loss because of that wrong result.
When you submit a sample surely, because the sample proves unsatisfactory, you cannot keep on submitting new samples in an effort to produce the right result?
But the samples were wrong.
Does Deputy Donegan wish that it should be submitted to the leader of the Fine Gael Party?
Much help they will get from you.
He should have said "up the spout", not down the spout.