asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a statement concerning the strong criticism expressed by the IAOS on 21st July about the appointment by him of a certain member of the Pigs and Bacon Commission.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pigs and Bacon Commission.
71.
As indicated in a Press release by my Department on 17th July, the statutory producer nominating bodies failed to agree on the nomination of two producer members of the commission. At my special request they held a further meeting in an effort to reach agreement but they were still unable to do so.
The relevant Act requires me, in the event of agreement not being reached between the nominating bodies, to nominate a person whom I consider to be representative of the interests of pig producers. In carrying out my statutory responsibility, I considered that the most suitable course was to maintain the status quo in regard to the representation of producer interests. The Act makes no provision for any kind of voting procedure but only for my responsibility in the event of disagreement between the nominating bodies.
Would the Minister not agree that it was somewhat injudicious and quite inappropriate that he should have proceeded to appoint to the commission one of the three persons nominated who succeeded in getting the magnificent total of one vote out of 15 votes cast, when the ICMSA representatives walked out? On that basis, would it not have been much wiser to refer the matter back or, at least, to appoint the two persons who had received the highest number of votes, namely, those who received eight votes and seven votes in the election which had to be held? We walk out and then we are appointed.
I appreciate that Deputy Desmond, representing the pig producers of Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown, would be acquainted with all the finer points of this.
The Minister's snide remarks will not get him anywhere.
The Minister was listened to in silence reading a lot of gobbledegook.
I am not being listened to in silence now.
No, and rightly so. We may ask for a count of the House if the Minister is not careful.
If Deputy Desmond had listened to my reply, as Deputy O'Donovan seems reluctant to do now, he would have heard that there is no provision for the voting procedure. On two occasions I asked the producer groups to save me the disagreeable task of appointing the producer members. This was not done and the task, therefore, fell to me of doing what I thought to be the most equitable thing and I did that.
May I put it to the Minister that both the NFA and the IAOS are now completely displeased with the Minister's decision which I suggest was taken for reasons which cannot be accepted by this House? Would he not, therefore, be conscious that as a Minister of State, newly appointed, very anxious to obtain the goodwill and needing the goodwill, I can assure him, of Irish farmers his decision appeared to be quite arbitrary and generally unfair? I do not think I am being unduly snide or representing the pig producers of Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown—we have a few of them——
There was a Fianna Fáil Minister for Agriculture with no agricultural land in his area so I would not worry about that.
I do not think it would be right to allow that very uninformed comment to pass without some correction.
Why was Mr. Murphy so unpopular?
I want to repeat and to endorse what Deputy Desmond said, that the Department of Agriculture do require the co-operation of the farming organisations. That was one of the things I had in mind when I made the decision as I did make it. I should like Deputy Desmond and his colleagues to bear in mind that anything they say that would aggravate the situation that obviously arose at the meeting of the producer members of the Pigs and Bacon Commission for the purpose of selecting their representatives is to be deplored. Anything that causes discord is to be deplored. We cannot carry this. The decision I made was in order to avoid discord and I think the farming community generally appreciate this.
Would the Minister not agree that it is equally to be deplored that the representative of the ICMSA should walk out of a tripartite meeting——
The Deputy is now implying criticism of an individual.
I am not implying criticism of any particular individual. I am implying criticism of the representatives of organisations who are obliged by the Minister to sit down and reach agreement, the representative of one organisation walks out and the Minister then appoints the representative of that organisation. I submit that this is to be deplored.
The only Deputy, and there are very many Deputies in this House, who is trying to make political hay out of the situation is the Deputy from the royal borough of Kingstown.
Would the Minister remember that his predecessor as Minister for Agriculture was also a city Deputy and anybody on these benches is entitled to raise any matter he may feel like raising and the Minister should confine his reply to the questions which he has been asked?
I do not question the Deputy's right to raise it. I was merely pointing out that it was only the Deputy from the royal borough of Kingstown——
Deputy Andrews also represents Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown.