asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of reports of illegal grain importation; and if he will make a statement on its likely impact on the disposal of the substantial stocks of home produced grain and on the price of the 1978 crop.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Illegal Grain Importation.
7.
I am aware of reports of illegal grain importation and have arranged for an intensification of the measures being adopted to prevent such imports.
Is the Minister aware that the smuggling of barley into the country still continues? Is he further aware that the compounders have ordered very little barley from the merchants? Up to 30 per cent of the consumer season of barley has gone by and this will block up the stores for next year. The Minister commented on this yesterday but I do not accept his comments.
The Department of Agriculture are attempting, on my instructions, to determine the sources of barley going into provender millers and grain assembler stores. We are using every method available to us to correct illegal importation. I remind the Deputies that this urge to import barley illegally arises from the fact that the price available this side of the Border is far more attractive to farmers than the price available to farmers on the other side of the Border, as I said to Deputy Fitzpatrick on another subject yesterday afternoon. As long as there is an imbalance there will be attempts at illegal smuggling.
Would the Minister be a little bit more specific about the intensive measures he has in mind? Is he satisfied that those intensive measures are meeting with any success? Will he consider the introduction under section 2 of the 1955 Feeding-stuffs Act of a regulation which would require all people selling compound feed to state both the ingredients and the sources of those ingredients to anybody purchasing them?
These are all separate questions. We are moving along very slowly.
I do not think any of the methods suggested by Deputy Bruton would be effective in the attempt to control the illegal importation of barley. As the Deputy probably well knows, the total sealing off of illegal importations into this part of the country is virtually impossible. The only result we may have is to make these illegal importations as difficult as possible for the illegal importers. We are trying to do that.
Question No. 8.
Would the Minister not agree that the fact that the maximum fine under the 1955 Act of £25 provides a very small disincentive to people to sell low quality feed, including imported items which are low quality?
Those are separate questions. They are matters that could be the subject of notice questions. We want to move on now.
The Minister did not answer the question I asked him. What percentage of home grown barley have the compounders used this year? That would indicate to him clearly how much is being smuggled. The Minister is avoiding that question since he became Minister.
I am not avoiding it.
That is not the question on the Order Paper. I am calling Question No. 8.
The question asks the Minister to make a statement on the likely impact of illegal grain importation on the disposal of the substantial stocks of home produced grain.
We could spend all day here on the same question.
The Minister has refused to answer that question.
The Chair will judge that. Question No. 8.
Let me say to Deputy D'Arcy that if it were possible to differentiate between barley imported from the North of Ireland and home produced barley it would then be possible to answer the Deputy's question It will not be possible until then. His question is not very sensible.
That is very unfair. I asked what percentage of home grown barley has been used by the compounders this year when 30 per cent of the season is gone already. That is a straight question.
If Deputy D'Arcy will give me notice of that question I will answer it.
I am calling the next question.
The Minister does not know the answer.
It is a statistical question and I do not have the statistics with me. If the Deputy will be good enough to put down a question I will answer it.
That is about the third time this question was asked.
It was asked by way of a supplementary question.
Deputy Donegan had a question similar to that down yesterday.
If the Deputy will put down the question for next week I will answer it.
It will not be answered until about February.
It will not be answered until then the way we are going.