asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if the review body recently established by him in connection with the intervention scheme for cattle will receive submissions either orally or in writing from persons and organisations who may wish to place points of view or evidence of the workings of the intervention scheme before it; and, if not, if he will indicate how the review body proposes to obtain the information on which it will base its conclusions and ultimate report.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Intervention Beef.
29.
The answer is yes. The review group published an advertisement in the press of 5th April inviting submissions.
Again, just as in the disadvantaged areas scheme, how does one seek consultation?
There is nothing in this question about a disadvantaged area.
No. I am talking about consultation with regard to intervention. How does one get into that body?
There is an advertisement here asking people to make submissions.
Will everybody who reads that advertisement make——
Anybody who wants to make a submission or who thinks they have a contribution to make to this group can do so.
30.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if his attention has been drawn to the statement by the fresh meat exporters that a reduction in sales to intervention by Irish meat plants will result in a loss of jobs and lower prices to producers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I am aware of the statement referred to. I do not accept that a moderation in intervention intake should cause a reduction in either producers prices for cattle or the level of employment at beef export factories if the factories make sufficent use of commercial outlets, and having regard to the factories trading position particularly since last autumn.
Cod.
Is the Minister satisfied there will not be any reduction?
I hope not.
Might I ask the Minister whether the CBF, in their weekly bulletin, are not adhering to the facts when they tell us that, week after week, the Irish reference price not only has been by far the lowest in the Community but is dropping?
I think it will always be the lowest in the Community because we are on the perimeter and we have these disadvantages to be put up with. We have not the required quality, as yet, in our cattle for export to the Continental market.
Would the Minister not agree that the recent announcement by him in the present unemployment situation could have further disastrous effects? Would the Minister not now agree that his statement was unfortunate and ill-timed? Would the Minister promise to undo the damage now by a further statement?
No. As a matter of fact, it is because of my fear of the future I have taken the steps I have taken.
31.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the amount of money paid in 1974 for intervention beef and the estimated amount of money paid by the processors for the beef.
The amount paid for intervention beef purchases in 1974 was £69.76 million. My Department have no particulars of the amounts paid by processors for their trade purchases of cattle from which the beef was derived but I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate with the Official Report a table showing (1) the average market prices for the four intervention categories of cattle for each week in 1974 and (2) the official intervention carcase prices for each of the four categories during the year.
Following is the table:
1. Average Irish Weekly Liveweight Market Prices for the 4 Intervention Cattle Categories, 1974.
|
Week Ending |
Steers |
Steers |
Heifers |
Cows |
|
I |
II |
II |
I* |
|
|
£ per |
£ per |
£ per |
£ per |
|
|
cwt, 1w. |
cwt, 1w. |
cwt, 1w. |
cwt, 1w. |
|
|
2/1/74 |
16.72 |
16.26 |
15.64 |
11.81 |
|
9/1/74 |
16.29 |
16.27 |
15.44 |
12.34 |
|
16/1/74 |
16.12 |
16.11 |
15.39 |
12.10 |
|
23/1/74 |
16.04 |
15.96 |
14.86 |
12.03 |
|
30/1/74 |
16.17 |
16.17 |
15.40 |
12.51 |
|
6/2/74 |
16.61 |
16.53 |
15.77 |
12.40 |
|
13/2/74 |
16.65 |
16.16 |
15.55 |
12.12 |
|
20/2/74 |
16.14 |
16.15 |
15.33 |
12.17 |
|
27/2/74 |
16.49 |
16.54 |
15.85 |
12.44 |
|
6/3/74 |
16.74 |
17.08 |
16.07 |
12.41 |
|
13/3/74 |
17.71 |
17.79 |
16.84 |
13.56 |
|
20/3/74 |
17.85 |
17.95 |
17.20 |
13.86 |
|
27/3/74 |
18.14 |
18.04 |
17.17 |
14.23 |
|
3/4/74 |
18.81 |
19.31 |
18.55 |
14.09 |
|
10/4/74 |
18.76 |
18.97 |
18.53 |
14.21 |
|
17/4/74 |
18.36 |
18.66 |
18.54 |
13.93 |
|
24/4/74 |
18.59 |
18.63 |
18.62 |
13.84 |
|
1/5/74 |
18.54 |
18.58 |
18.40 |
14.74 |
|
8/5/74 |
18.84 |
18.87 |
17.67 |
14.86 |
|
15/5/74 |
19.15 |
19.13 |
18.06 |
14.47 |
|
22/5/74 |
19.17 |
18.93 |
17.45 |
14.43 |
|
29/5/74 |
18.94 |
18.64 |
16.69 |
13.38 |
|
5/6/74 |
18.41 |
18.40 |
16.30 |
13.53 |
|
12/6/74 |
17.88 |
17.55 |
16.47 |
12.69 |
|
19/6/74 |
17.37 |
17.01 |
15.07 |
12.35 |
|
26/6/74 |
16.62 |
16.49 |
13.99 |
11.17 |
|
3/7/74 |
16.74 |
16.77 |
14.78 |
11.60 |
|
10/7/74 |
17.01 |
16.93 |
14.52 |
11.76 |
|
17/7/74 |
16.65 |
16.56 |
14.68 |
11.60 |
|
24/7/74 |
16.81 |
16.80 |
14.21 |
11.59 |
|
31/7/74 |
16.89 |
17.07 |
14.20 |
11.86 |
|
7/8/74 |
16.50 |
16.62 |
14.02 |
11.98 |
|
14/8/74 |
16.13 |
16.07 |
14.41 |
11.47 |
|
21/8/74 |
15.95 |
15.82 |
14.14 |
10.96 |
|
28/8/74 |
15.69 |
15.75 |
13.35 |
10.92 |
|
4/9/74 |
15.58 |
15.39 |
12.86 |
11.03 |
|
11/9/74 |
14.96 |
14.80 |
12.00 |
10.61 |
|
18/9/74 |
14.56 |
14.30 |
11.00 |
10.44 |
|
25/9/74 |
15.67 |
15.26 |
12.36 |
10.85 |
|
2/10/74 |
15.60 |
15.24 |
13.03 |
10.62 |
|
9/10/74 |
15.85 |
15.36 |
12.39 |
10.65 |
|
16/10/74 |
15.04 |
14.70 |
11.43 |
10.32 |
|
23/10/74 |
15.28 |
14.11 |
11.03 |
9.99 |
|
30/10/74 |
14.89 |
14.06 |
10.76 |
10.12 |
|
6/11/74 |
15.43 |
14.82 |
11.06 |
10.09 |
|
13/11/74 |
15.48 |
15.26 |
11.87 |
10.50 |
|
20/11/74 |
15.78 |
15.11 |
12.27 |
10.19 |
|
27/11/74 |
16.23 |
16.03 |
12.51 |
10.52 |
|
4/12/74 |
16.61 |
16.49 |
13.01 |
10.71 |
|
11/12/74 |
16.44 |
16.21 |
13.18 |
10.27 |
|
18/12/74 |
16.88 |
16.85 |
13.79 |
10.58 |
|
31/12/74 |
16.97 |
17.00 |
14.11 |
10.93 |
* Intervention on Cows I began on 28th January, 1974.
2. Intervention Carcase Prices, 1974.
|
Period |
Steers I |
Steers II |
Heifers II |
Cows I |
||||
|
£ per cwt, dw. |
£ per cwt, dw. |
£ per cwt, dw. |
£ per cwt, dw. |
|||||
|
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
|
|
1st January, 1974* to 3rd March, 1974 |
29.16 |
29.76 |
28.03 |
29.15 |
27.88 |
29.00 |
24.90 |
26.02 |
|
4th March, 1974 to 6th October, 1974 |
33.33 |
34.01 |
32.20 |
33.32 |
31.26 |
32.38 |
27.50 |
28.62 |
|
7th October, 1974 to 31st December, 1974 |
38.86 |
39.66 |
37.73 |
38.85 |
36.62 |
37.74 |
32.27 |
33.39 |
* 28th January, 1974 for Cows I.
Note: There is a maximum price for the better animals in each category and a minimum price for the others.
Would the Minister say whether or not he is satisfied that a fair proportion of that money went back to the producers?
I am not so satisfied. It is for that reason we have this special group looking into the matter to see if they can make proposals.
Has the Minister's Department any system of monitoring cattle which do go into intervention through factories, and monitoring the Drigins of those cattle? I say this because the Minister must know that cattle were bought at marts on a large scale throughout the country in the last six months of last year at £8 and £10 per hundredweight and put into intervention straight off the lorry.
We have no such system. Even if we had the exact answers in each case, I am not sure that we could do all that much about it. That is the matter that is being investigated.
That is a terrible confession.
32.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will make a statement concerning allegations that meat of inferior quality and incorrect weight was sent to intervention by some factories; and the action he proposes to take in the matter.
There have been some instances in which meat offered to intervention was not up to the required standard. Appropriate action is taken in any such case according to the individual circumstances.