Vol. 395 No. 7
4 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he is concerned at the prospect of the demise of winter fattening of beef cattle; if his attention has been drawn to the poor financial position of farmers involved in this sector of farming; and if he has any plans to help this vital sector.
24 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food, in light of the fact that farmers sustaining losses of cattle prices of between £50 and £100 per animal, the measures he proposes in order to alleviate the problem.
42 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his attention has been drawn to the severe hardship and substantial loss of income experienced by dry stock farmers in the west of Ireland at present; the reason the price markets for both calves and dry stock have reached such uneconomic levels; and if he will outline his proposals to rectify this situation.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4, 24 and 42 together. I have sought and obtained a whole series of measures over the past year. At the January 1989 Council of Ministers' meeting I got agreement to give special recognition to the importance of the beef industry to the Irish economy. In March 1989 I succeeded in obtaining carcase intervention for a two-week period. This was of considerable benefit to the winter feeder. In September 1989 we were successful in persuading the EC Commission of the need to introduce an aids to private storage scheme, despite opposition from some member states. A total of 81,000 tonnes was placed in store under this scheme. During the peak production period in 1989 and in the early part of this year we persuaded the EC Commission to accept a total of 66,400 tonnes of beef into intervention under the tendering system.
My primary concern is that the returns to the producer remain at acceptable levels. We will, of course, continue to press the case of the Irish cattle producers at all levels in the Community in order to ensure that the EC support schemes are operated to the optimum benefit of all sectors of our beef industry. The policy review group which I set up late last year will look, inter alia, at the problems of seasonality in the beef sector and how it might be tackled.
I have one straight question to put to the Minister of State: is he satisfied that the farmers engaged in producing winter beef fatteners are pleased with his efforts last year and are doing well?
I thought I gave a full reply to the Deputy's question and outlined the various measures available to such producers.
The Minister seemed to be suggesting that those breeders were satisfied with his efforts.
I gave details of the measures introduced to help the beef industry.
(Limerick East): “The Zig and Zag Show”.
Is the Minister aware that for the third successive year winter fatteners have lost money and that they are likely to lose about £100 per head again this year? It appears from the Minister's reply neither he nor the Department have a single idea in regard to changing that system. He said that a committee had been set up but that committee has been in operation for 18 months. Is the Minister aware that the real problem is that in the beef sector there will not be winter beef fatteners next year? I am sure the Minister is aware of what that will do for food processing, an area that comes within his portfolio.
We must have brevity.
The Minister has made a very feeble attempt to answer my question about one of the major problems that is besetting Irish agriculture. Unless he can come up with a better answer in the next three or four months our farmers will suffer a great loss.
The Deputy is making a statement.
The Minister has given the most pathetic reply I have heard in a long time and I regret to have to say that. I wonder why it is that the Minister will not answer my question. This is very bad form on his part.
