Vol. 255 No. 3
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he is aware that the original Mansholt Plan envisaged a reduction from ten million to five million in the agricultural population in the EEC countries; and what its implications are in regard to this country on its accession to the EEC.
23.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if, with reference to the Mansholt plan as presently formulated, he will make a statement on the number of persons likely to remain engaged in agriculture under EEC conditions.
24.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the rate of decline in the agricultural population over the past decade and the expected rate of decline under EEC conditions.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 22-24 together.
The Mansholt proposals of 1968 aimed at assisting those leaving agriculture of their own accord and at helping those remaining in agriculture to improve their conditions and achieve a standard of living comparable to that in other sectors. While it was accepted that the agricultural population of the EEC countries would continue to decline, it was recognised that the movement off the land would take place whether or not the proposals were implemented.
The original Mansholt proposals have, of course, been greatly altered and steps decided in relation to them by the Council of Ministers in March last would indeed be of particular benefit to us in helping to solve such farm structural problems as we have. These problems are, of course, of greater significance in the present six EEC countries where the average size of farm is much smaller than here.
Some 28 per cent of our population is still engaged in agriculture and it must be expected that, irrespective of entry into the EEC, this proportion will continue to decline in line with the trend in other developed countries. The decline in the number engaged in agriculture here over the decade 1959 to 1969 was 24 per cent. Because of the increased prosperity of farmers as a result of guaranteed outlets and improved prices for their products the rate of decline may well be slowed down by entry into the EEC.
Would the Minister consider that there is some prospect of increasing employment in agriculture also through the intensification of agriculture, that we have in large areas of the country farmland that is not being farmed to optimum production level and that intensification and improvement of farming methods would also create greater employment?
I agree. The inducement to owners of the type of land to which the Deputy refers will be greater within the EEC. It will not, therefore, be as profitable for farmers to farm at a low level. The standard of efficiency of farming should rise because the returns should rise.
Have the Minister and his Department looked into this? Has he any survey team or committee considering how we can intensify farming or improve production on certain land that is not being farmed at optimum level in order to prepare for EEC?
All aspects of farm development are constantly under review in the Department.
Would the Minister not agree that his last statement is a generalisation and not an answer to the question as to whether or not there is a survey team or committee working on this matter of intensification which is so important?
That is a separate question.
In relation to the modified Mansholt Plan, on what does the Minister base his prognostication that the rate of the decline in the agricultural population will not increase rather than decrease?
On the fact that the return from agriculture within EEC will be considerably greater for farmers than at present. That should lead to a slow-down in the movement from the land and should give the smaller operator who is efficient a far better chance of remaining in farming.
How can the Minister tell the House that things will be all right when we enter EEC in view of the fact that he told me here a week or two ago that he had not a clue as to what the lime deficiency was in the soil of Ireland and that he had no survey carried out to indicate what the deficiency was? How can such things be corrected in a day or a week?
There was no reference to the lime content of the soil of Ireland in the question.
