asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts he has made as a member of the EEC Council of Ministers to inform and to seek the support of other countries within the EEC for the need for special treatment for the dairy industry in Ireland particularly in the context of the proposal to introduce a super-levy or quota on milk production.
Written Answers. - Dairy Industry.
192.
The Deputy can be assured that I have availed of every appropriate occasion to inform the members of the Council of Ministers, and of the Special Councils set up by Stuttgart, of the exceptional importance of agriculture, and in particular the dairy sector, to the Irish economy. Two papers, one dealing exclusively with the milk sector, have been presented at a high level in Brussels and in all Community capitals and our position, in pursuit of them explained in detail by our ambassadors. The paper on the milk sector outlined in detail the special character of the Irish dairy industry, its relative state of underdevelopment and the consequences which the proposed super-levy could have for the Irish economy.
Our activities in European capitals have, of course, been matched by the full utilisation by members of the Government of visits to this country by members of the Commission and Community Governments to underscore our specific concerns about the dairy industry. Similarly, and most importantly, the Taoiseach and myself made a series of visits to Community capitals in the period immediately before the European Council in order to emphasise our concern about the impact of the Commission's proposals on the economy and to seek understanding of, and support for, our position. This programme of visits and meetings was unparalleled in their scope and intensity since Ireland joined the Community in 1973.