asked the Minister for Agriculture if, as a matter of urgency, he will ensure that the importation of intervention feed wheat sanctioned by the EEC for Ireland is undertaken immediately in view of the fact that mid-summer shipments will cause unnecessary strain in the home market; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Intervention Feed Wheat.
7.
A tender has now been awarded for the transfer of the 50,000 tonnes of wheat from stores in the Federal Republic of Germany to Ireland. Movement of the grain will commence this week and the first shipment of the wheat is expected at Irish stores next week. I am very conscious of the need to avoid any disruption of the new harvest, while at the same time providing some relief to livestock feeders who have had to pay unusually high prices for feed in recent months.
Mr. Leonard
Who benefits from this heavily subsidised intervention wheat?
I hope that our livestock producers will benefit, because this wheat will come in at a cheaper price.
Mr. Leonard
How is it hoped to distribute this quantity of wheat to the various merchants?
It will be up to the merchants to tender to my Department. The minimum price is £158.60 per tonne. We hope to distribute around the country in a fairly uniform manner.
Mr. Leonard
Would the Minister not agree that this type of feed is much better than the tapioca fillers and other items mentioned previously?
Could the Minister advise the drop in price to the producer per tonne?
That is a matter for the individual merchant. It varies from one merchant to another. There will be a reduction on existing prices. As the Deputy knows, there is a very serious shortage of feeding stuffs at the moment and this will fill a gap.
Can the Minister tell us if the prices will drop, as suggested in an earlier answer?
Grain is being provided at a cheaper price and I hope that as a result it will benefit the producer by coming on stream more cheaply.
Will the Minister ensure that prices will drop?
I cannot give that type of guarantee. I am sure the National Prices Commission will have something to say.
Will the Minister tell us how much wheat has been imported at this time?
It has not arrived yet. We are expecting 50,000 tonnes next week.
What steps will the Minister be taking to ensure that this situation will not arise in the future? As the Minister and the Chair are aware, the barley bought into intervention here was sold at a much lower price and left the agricultural industry very short, in the livestock field especially.
There is not a whole lot that any Minister can do in this regard. A number of merchants in this country sold the barley into intervention, as they are perfectly entitled to do. They may have had financial pressures which forced them to do that. Once the barley goes into intervention, it is open to anybody within the community to purchase it and that is what happened. We have no legal way of stopping that from happening again.
A final supplementary, please — and I mean that.
Mr. Leonard
Regarding the National Prices Commission, does the Minister propose that all price increases for feedstuffs will come before the Commission?
That would be a matter for the Minister concerned.