asked the Minister for Agriculture why the response in Ireland to the EEC schemes for the private storage of beef was so poor in 1979; and, if the price for cattle paid to farmers in 1979 would have been significantly better if these schemes had been more fully availed of.
Written Answers. - Private Storage of Beef Schemes.
385.
In June 1979 a private storage scheme for forequarter beef was introduced and this was followed by a scheme for hindquarter beef in October 1979. Under these schemes, 3,000 tonnes of forequarters and 2,880 tonnes of hindquarters were removed from the market in Ireland. While the quantity of beef stored was not as great as had been expected, it is reasonable to assume that producers would have derived some benefit from both schemes. In view of their restricted nature, however, it is inevitable that private storage schemes can only have a limited effect on prices of cattle.