asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the percentage of total milk supplied to creameries in (a) County Meath and (b) County Cavan which qualifies for the quality bonus; and the national average in this regard.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Creamery Milk Supplies.
45.
In the year ended 31st May, 1971, 53 per cent of the milk supplied to creameries in County Meath and 67 per cent of the milk supplied to creameries in County Cavan qualified for the quality bonus. The national average for the same period was 75 per cent.
What steps does the Minister envisage should be taken to raise the amount of milk in these counties which is getting quality bonus?
I should imagine that a contributory reason to the apparently low percentage of milk qualifying for the quality bonus in the County Meath area would be the large proportion of milk production in that county that is supplying liquid milk rather than creamery milk.
Would the Minister be of opinion that the fact that only 30 per cent of the families in County Cavan have medical cards, whereas about 44 per cent have them in Meath, would have anything to do with the situation?
That is a separate question.
In a poor county like Cavan where, perhaps, only 30 per cent of the population have medical cards this would make them more efficient. Is this the purpose of the operation?
I think the Deputy is being facetious.
I take it that the 75 per cent of the national average is 75 per cent of the amount of milk supplied? If the Minister has the information I should like him to give the percentage of suppliers who qualify. I am sure he will agree that because of the uneconomic price for milk in the past few years suppliers were not able to get the necessary equipment and investment to produce quality milk.
There are more suppliers of milk to creameries in Cavan than in County Meath.
The Deputy should know as well as I do that the best enterprise that a farmer can go into at the present time is the production of milk.
I would not agree at all.
I except specialist stuff such as the production of tomatoes.