I move:—
That Seanad Éireann is of the opinion that, unless the scheme for the eradication of bovine T.B. is implemented more expeditiously, our position in the British market will be seriously impaired.
In moving this motion, I should like to make it clear at the outset that this is in no sense a political motion. I speak purely as a vocational member of this House, having been nominated by the national executive of the live-stock trade as one of their representatives in this Chamber. The motion is of vital concern to Irish agriculture which is not only the mainstay of this country but represents the only substantial volume of exports we can count on to-day.
I need hardly remind the House that at the present time the principal market for our live-stock exports is still Great Britain and that any serious change made in the marketing system of Great Britain must have repercussions here. It is surely, therefore, a matter of serious concern that Great Britain is well on the way to becoming a fully attested area. Practically the entire country from Land's End to John O'Groats is now fully attested. As each county becomes fully attested, such county is then officially declared closed and no live stock is permitted to enter that county, unless it is certified as T.B. tested.
What is this scheme of attestation anyway? I have seen no directives from the Department of Agriculture explaining to our farmers what is demanded by these new regulations. There seems to be an element of mystery or secrecy about the whole affair which is difficult to understand. Let me, therefore, try to throw some light on the subject. The scheme first started in Britain on a modest basis about 1945 and was originally confined to the T.B. testing of dairy herds. Beef herds might become attested, but no subsidy was given until shortly after the war. A complete new scheme was put into operation in 1950, and the attestation scheme for all cattle produced in Great Britain has swept the country from end to end.
It is with that complete new scheme that we in Ireland are mainly concerned. I presume that those Senators with a farming background understand all about attestation, but, for the benefit of those Senators not so familiar with the facts, I shall endeavour to clarify the position by outlining the mechanics of attestation as practised across the water. First of all, the owner, at his own expense, has a pilot T.B. test done by his own veterinary surgeon. If there are any reactors, they must be immediately removed. Two months afterwards, a further test is held by Government vets and if it is a completely clear test, the cattle are classified then as fully attested. Should, however, there be one reactor only among as many as 200 cattle the entire test fails. On the removal of that reactor, at the expiry of a further two months period, a further test is compulsory. When herds are finally accepted as fully attested, these herds are then tested only once yearly.
That, in simple language, is the mechanics of attestation and my purpose in explaining that here so minutely is to give Senators an insight into the difficulties that are now arising between the two countries. I have here a white paper issued by the Agricultural Department in Great Britain only four months ago. I would ask every member of this House and every farmer in the country to study this paper well for it may sound the death knell of the Irish store cattle trade. I quote from this paper:—
"At the end of 1955 there were over 6,000,000 cattle in attested areas in Great Britain as compared with 5,000,000 at the end of 1954 and only 2,000,000 in October, 1950, when the area plan was introduced. Approximately 62 per cent. of all cattle in Great Britain are now attested: in Scotland, 79 per cent.; in England, 54 per cent.; and in Wales, 84 per cent."
These figures are official United Kingdom figures and I quote them in order to demonstrate even to people who are not familiar with the trade that this market is diminishing rapidly week by week.
In the very near future the whole of Great Britain will be fully attested and our live-stock exports will be closed out. When that day comes, I can assure you, Sir, that it will be a very sad day for the farmers of Ireland. For the past six or seven years, I have tried to arouse our Department of Agriculture, under both Governments, to the dangers that lay ahead, but my warnings were unheeded. In fairness to the last Minister, the late Deputy Walsh, he did realise that there was trouble ahead and that there was some necessity for legislation to try to avert it. He might have done much had not the then Government been defeated in the last election. To the present Minister, however, must go the credit for being the first Minister to have the foresight and courage to launch an eradication scheme for Ireland on similar lines to the British scheme. It is, I regret to say, about ten years too late. We can hardly hold the Minister responsible for that, but we certainly can hold responsible the advisory officers and permanent officials——