asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will consider the subsidisation of hill sheep farmers in view of the precarious position in which they find themselves owing to the drop in wool prices and the substantial drop in the number of ewes, and in view of the fact that a subsidy per lamb or per ewe would be of considerable help in increasing flocks of mountain sheep of the Scotch variety.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Subsidisation of Hill Sheep Farmers.
51.
Prices for all classes of sheep are good and the information available to me does not suggest that there has been a decline in the number of ewes in mountain areas. Hill sheep farmers are assisted by special grants under the Land Project for the fencing and improvement of mountain grazings, as well as by the official schemes for the location of good-class rams at reduced prices in these areas.
As regards wool prices, I would refer the Deputy to my reply to questions by Deputies McQuillan, McAuliffe and Murphy on the subject on 17th February.