Item 4 is the consideration of the draft reports presented by the chairmen of the sub-committees. The first three reports on agriculture have been prepared by Deputy Noonan. Might I say, before he starts to deal with these reports, that I think these reports were more or less agreed prior to drafting, but of course they are before us for adoption, rejection or amendment as the case may be. Perhaps the chairman of the various sub-committees would like to say a few words on their reports. The first one is the report on the market in beef and veal.
The Market in Beef and Veal.
The draft reports have been circulated. I intend to deal with the three reports seriatum. They are in the hands of Members for a few days. Deputy Brendan Daly has submitted an amendment to the draft report on Agricultural Structures. I should like to acknowledge the assistance, first of all, from the Secretariat in preparing these reports and also the help given by the different farming organisations who attended our discussions. Two meetings took place before the draft report on the matter in beef and veal was prepared. The draft report outlines the market background and the Commission’s proposals, which we also discussed with the Commission during our recent visit to Brussels.
In this draft report on beef and veal the main information is contained in Paragraph 5. We do not need to go through the draft report in any great detail. That paragraph contains the information we have been able to collect from EEC sources and from other sources as well. One thing I should like to say is that if ever there was an area where we had over the years misleading reports it was in the beef and veal sector. The Commission were notoriously wrong. This was never so evident as it was in 1974 when they were telling the Council of Ministers that for the foreseeable future, or for at least four years ahead, there was no danger of a surplus and there was no danger of a price drop. Within a few months we had an enormous drop in prices and all the indications of a substantial over-supply.
When we raised this matter fairly vigorously we found out that they had not even an expert group sitting on this trying to assess what the situation was or what the market prospects were for the future. Since then they have set up such a group, because of our insistence at the time. Perhaps their information may be somewhat more reliable. Very much later than that, when we were bringing in a new regime for beef and veal, in early 1977 we were then being told that they would have to make it easier for imports to come in because we were going to reach a point where there would be a scarcity in the EEC. In fact the opposite has happened since then. There are adequate supplies and there is quite a quantity of beef in intervention. I do not know why all the information in relation to the beef and veal market has been so unreliable. That is why I would like to alert my colleagues here that I would not be 100 per cent sure that what is contained in this draft report is correct. It might be misleading and time may prove it to be so. However, I think it is the best we can do in the circumstances.
Paragraphs 1 to 16 inclusive, agreed to.
Draft report, agreed to.
Ordered: To report accordingly.