asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if, in view of the fact that farmers are now planning their programme for the season 1971, he will state clearly and concisely what the Government's intentions are regarding prices for the season 1971 with particular reference to milk prices.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Farm Produce Prices.
129.
As the Deputy is aware I have announced price increases in the four major livestock commodities —cattle, sheep, pigs and creamery milk. This is the second round of support for all of them this year. For next year's feeding barley crop growers will receive an increase of over 10 per cent in the floor price. In consequence, the minimum prices for pigs will be further adjusted in the autumn of 1971. In all, these measures will cost the Exchequer about £10 million in a full year, over £3 million of which will go to creamery milk suppliers. The House will appreciate that the task of finding this extra sum by way of taxation is not going to be an easy one. I might mention also that liquid milk producers have received two increases this year worth an additional £750,000 a year for them and that the beet acreage will be increased by 6,000 acres next season. Farmers will also benefit from the higher guaranteed prices for cattle and sheep in Britain.
I think I can claim with justification that these measures represent a sound basis for further sustained progress and that our farmers can plan their programmes for 1971 with confidence.
In the future, as in the past, farmers can count on the Government carrying out their declared policy on agriculture.
In relation to the multitier price system for milk, there is a farmer in Deputy Creed's constituency with 63 acres the price of whose milk has gone down since 1968 from 2s. 1d. to 1s. 8d. a gallon because he specialises in milk. The price has fallen. This is as a result of the policy which is in force.
On the contrary, in the recent readjustment of the multitier price system, certain anomalies which I thought existed in the previous structure were corrected. In particular, in the area between 20,000 and 30,000 gallons, the producer gets what would appear, on superficial examination, to be a disproportionate increase in the price of his milk compared with other areas of milk production.