asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries the steps his Department is taking to ensure that an increase will occur in the sheep population.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Sheep Population.
4.
As I informed the Deputy in my reply to a previous similar question a number of schemes designed to help the sheep industry are already in operation. These include the mountain lamb subsidy scheme, the hogget ewe subsidy scheme, the extension to the mountain lamb subsidy scheme and the export guarantee scheme for carcase mutton and lamb. Expenditure under these schemes in 1975 amounted to almost £3 million.
Obviously decisions about expanding sheep production must be taken by farmers themselves in the light of such factors as its relative profitability vis-á-vis other enterprises. In fact the decline in numbers has been most marked in certain lowland areas where alternative remunerative enterprises are available. A common organisation of the EEC market for sheep meat would, of course, help greatly and, as the Deputy is aware I have been pressing strongly for the introduction of this for some considerable time past.
The Minister must be aware that there has been a drastic drop in the sheep flock over the past two years. It appears as if the four schemes do not really go far enough. Is it the Minister's intention to improve any of those schemes?
I do not agree with the Deputy that there has been a drastic drop. In fact, in Wicklow there is no evidence of a drop.
The question does not relate to Wicklow alone.
I appreciate that but in the national scene there has not been what one would describe as a drastic drop. I know there has been some drop in sheep numbers.
Can the Minister give me the percentages for the past two years?
The figures are not yet available for 1975 but in 1974 breeding ewes were 1,804,000. In the previous year the figure was 1,872,000 and in the year before that 1,873,000.
Has the Minister got the percentages for those years?
I have not got the figures.
Would the Minister like to verify that it would be in the region of 6 per cent?
I cannot give an off-the-cuff answer to that.
Would the Minister agree that there has been a drop of 8 per cent last year?
There is nothing I can do. I have gone a very long way in pressing a common organisation at the moment. I have tried very hard to try to get a bilateral agreement with the French. I brought the British in, because of their interest, at a later stage and I brought the Commission in also. All these efforts so far have failed.
The Minister said he had not any figure for 1975.
The figures are not available yet from the Central Statistics Office.
The Minister is assuming a lot by saying there was no drop in 1975.
I said I had no evidence.
That was in relation to Wicklow. I believe there is a drop from what I hear. The Minister is very far back when he gives the figure for 1974.
That is true.
Would the Minister care to comment on the recent newspaper report about New Zealand frozen lamb in France where, as members of the EEC, we are unable to penetrate?
That seems to be a separate question, Deputy.
It is very relevant to sheep production.
It is a separate matter.
Many sheep producers are very concerned this week regarding that newspaper report. I would like the Minister to clarify the matter.
I have tried to get reliable evidence of this but so far I cannot get it. It is quite possible that there is no increase in the quota that New Zealand previously had. I believe we are talking within the same quota and that this arrangement was recently arrived at but it may represent no increase in the quota.
If it is clearly seen that there is an increase in the quota what steps can the Minister take? I know this is a hypothetical question but surely he must have some form of emergency plan?
I can take no steps in the circumstances of the present time.
Has the Minister no contingency arrangement if there has been an increase in the quota?
There is no effective action I can take except that we are discussing the whole sheep situation in Luxembourg next Monday and Tuesday.