Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 8 May 1975

Vol. 280 No. 9

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Beef and Beef Products.

11.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if the EEC Commission sought the advice of the advisory consultative committee for beef and veal on the necessity for the importation of beef and beef products in the near future; and, if so, the recommendation offered.

12.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if the opinions given to the EEC Commission by the management committee for beef and veal that the importation of beef and beef products from third countries in the near future was justified, was based on a unanimous decision.

With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together. I understand that the Commission did hold some discussions with the Advisory Committee on Beef and Veal on the relaxation of the import ban, but my Department was in no way involved. The Commission, prior to its recent decisions, had no obligation to, and did not in fact consult the Management Committee for Beef and Veal. Such decisions by the Commission may, however, be examined by the Council of Ministers and may be amended or rescinded by a qualified majority. The Commission's decisions to resume certain imports were examined by the Council last week, as I have indicated in my reply to another question today by Deputy James Gibbons.

From what source do the Commission obtain their information on which to base their decision?

The Commission are not obliged to do any more than they have done. They have the power and the authority to do it in the way they have done, and even if they look for advice from this advisory body they need not necessarily accept this advice.

It appears as if they are speaking in a vacuum. Surely there is somebody amongst them who knows about the sale of beef and veal in those matters and advice can be obtained from them? Where does this information come from? I understood from the literature supplied to me that they received this information from this management committee, but the Minister's statement seems to suggest that there is still another group in the Commission's office dealing with this problem. If there is some effort should be made to identify them to the Irish public.

It is not entirely the supply or the sale of beef they are concerning themselves with; it is over-all Community trade which comes into the matter very much. I would say that was the main pressure.

It surely was.

I should like to ask the Minister to define what he means by "overall community trade" with reference to beef and veal production? Is it another new phrase which we will have to be using in the future?

The Deputy must know that many of the member States get raw materials from some of the countries that previously sold beef or cattle to them and were excluded by the ban. They wanted this normal trade to be resumed and these were the sort of pressures that were on so that this could happen.

Is this not contrary to the Treaty of Rome? We all understood that while there was meat within the market this importation from Third Countries could not take place. Apparently, this big market is only at our disposal when it suits some countries but they break it when it suits themselves.

There is always the fear of counter measures being taken by other traders on the world scene against people in the Community, and that has to be balanced. I have opposed this to the extent that it was possible for me as a Minister representing a member State.

How far can the Minister go?

I can only put this to a vote and they are entitled to get it on a majority decision.

What about the veto?

The veto cannot operate in this case.

13.

asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he has been presented with statistics by the EEC which indicate the anticipated production and consumption of beef and beef products within the EEC for each coming month to the end of March, 1976; and if he will indicate the criteria on which the justification for the importation of beef from Third Countries was based.

Statistics of estimated production and consumption of beef and veal for the year 1975 have been given to member governments at management committee level. They indicate that supply will exceed demand somewhat for the Community as a whole in 1975. As regards the second part of the question, the agricultural Commissioner indicated to the Council of Ministers that the Commission's decision was made to respond to the need for a reopening of trade channels in cattle and beef and to avoid triggering situations which would affect unfavourably the Community's general commercial policy.

Does the Minister not agree that if we are now faced with the situation where there will be an over supply of beef in the market and that beef is being imported from Third Countries, this is contrary to what we were promised under EEC conditions? Does the Minister agree that if our beef market is at the mercy of other commodities from other countries we are finding ourselves in a vice from which we may not be able to extract ourselves? This is a situation which nobody who asked the people of Ireland to vote to join the EEC envisaged at that time.

We did not get the specific undertakings the Deputy mentioned in negotiating the Treaty of Accession.

What about Article 39 of the Rome Treaty? It has gone out the window.

They are working well within the limits of the Rome Treaty.

Is it not a breach of the Treaty of Rome? Are we going away from the principle which we put to the people?

There are times when it is hard to see where the community preference is being honoured but, nevertheless, they are not in breach.

What is the justification for this quid pro quo in importing so many tons of beef and exporting so many tons? How can this justify the trade otherwise? Is the Minister assured that more beef is likely to be imported rather than exported from the EEC in view of the difficulties we have of exporting beef?

Not unless serious smuggling takes place; it has to pass through the customs.

In view of the fact that there was over-production of beef in the Community in 1974 what arrangements is the Minister making to absorb the heavy killings that will take place from August onwards so that there will not be a repetition of what happened last year?

The provisions we have are intervention and third country sales. That is all.

Will the Minister state——

I have allowed sufficient latitude on this question. I am calling Question No. 14.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply I wish to raise this matter on the Adjournment.

The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.

Barr
Roinn