asked the Minister for Agriculture what organisation he has within his Department to promote the export marketing of carcase beef, mutton and lamb.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Meat Exports.
33.
My Department provides a wide variety of services for the benefit of the carcase meat export industry, the principal among them being an official veterinary service to supervise slaughtering and processing at the premises to meet high standards; appropriate certification of premises and the meat exported therefrom in accordance with the requirements of importing countries; supervision of the refrigeration and transport of meat and meat products; participation in the negotiation of trade agreements and other arrangements regarding meat with importing countries; and the institution of various inquiries on behalf of or in conjunction with exporters regarding trade possibilities and requirements for promoting and developing export sales of beef, mutton and lamb, including the sending of technical and other officers to study the position in individual markets as well as utilising the services of the personnel of Irish missions in such countries, Córas Tráchtála and other specialised consultants.
Does the Minister not agree that the people in this trade who export beef, mutton and lamb to the Continent and to the United States of America must seek their own markets and that, in fact, the Minister is doing absolutely nothing about it, that he is following after the people who exported meat, he is not leading?
A bald statement in the course of a supplementary question to that effect does not carry much sense.
It carries a lot of sense to other persons. I appreciate that it might not to the Minister.