Michael McDowell
Ceist:224 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the prospects for growth in pigmeat production by 1997; and the possible effect of GATT proposals thereon.
Written Answers. - Pig-meat Production.
An extensive programme to improve and upgrade pig slaughtering and processing facilities over a number of years has created capacity to handle up to 4 million pigs in Irish factories annually. Thus, scope exists to increase pig numbers by up to one-third but expansion can take place only in response to demand and in fact, at the current time, expansion must be export driven. I am confident that the industry can maintain its excellent export performance record of recent years, having achieved an average annual growth rate of 24 per cent over the past three years. Consequently, the prospects for growth in the period up to 1997 are good.
As regards the impact of the GATT proposals, the interpretation of a number of important aspects of the agreement still remain under discussion. The effect on the pig-meat sector will depend on how these issues are finally resolved. It is likely that, at Community level, only modest levels of growth will be possible in the pig-meat sector following the GATT agreement. However, as Ireland accounts for only 1.6 per cent of Community pig numbers even a limited expansion would permit considerable growth in Irish pig numbers.