asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will state in connection with tabulations recently submitted to his Department by a committee of turkey rearers' representatives showing that at least 70 per cent of the Irish turkeys marketed last December by rearers in the State averaged 32 weeks old at time of sale by rearers (a) if the tabulations are substantially correct, (b) if not, in which respects and to what extent they are not correct, and (c) whether he considers it conducive to the economic production of Irish turkeys and to the interests of Irish rearers and consumers generally for his Department to continue to arrange the supply of breeding poults from Athenry College, County Galway, so that the great majority of rearers will continue to be unable to obtain delivery from licensed hatcheries during the period each year which would enable rearers to market their turkeys each December at not more than 20 to 24 weeks old, which is as long as it is economic to feed the present day broad-breasted white turkeys.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Turkey Production.
34.
An individual, purporting to act on behalf of a committee, recently sent to my Department a series of tabulations of the kind mentioned in the question. The assumption made in computing the tabulations do not warrant their acceptance as accurately representing the position.
The function of the turkey unit at Athenry is to make available superior breeding stock to hatchery supply farmers as requests for such stock are received from them and can be met. There is no evidence that turkey rearers requiring commercial poults in July for marketing during December at 20-24 weeks were unable to get them in 1965 — in fact, exports of commercial poults in that year reached their peak during the month of July.