As this Bill appears to provide permanent legislation in substitution for emergency powers regulations, I consider it is desirable in a general way. I think it is necessary to say that every member of this House, I am sure, appreciates the importance of everything possible being done to promote the pig and bacon industry. In the production of pigs, and the resulting bacon, there is scope for expansion on a very considerable scale and expansion of agricultural output is one of the things most essential at the present time. Therefore, anything that can possibly be done to promote increased production in pigs and to increase the manufacture of bacon will, I am sure, have the whole-hearted support of every member of this House.
The pig-raising industry in this country has been a very uneven one. There have been violent fluctuations of prices down through the years and, resulting therefrom, fluctuations of supply. This, I think has been more marked in recent years. If we go back to our childhood days, we will remember that there was a fairly steep production of pigs then, mainly because at that time farmers, farmers' employees and the members of farmers' families were more inclined to work, irrespective of whether or not they were paid for their work. Like other sections of the community, farmers and farm workers are becoming alive to their own interests and rights and they are not prepared to work without remuneration. This state of affairs has been particularly marked over the past two years.
It will be remembered that, a little over two years ago, in 1953, prices went as high as 255/- per cwt. dead-weight in October, November and December of that year. There was a decline after that and, in May, 1954, the price had come back to 239/10d. In June, the price declined to 226/- and, from that until April, 1955, the price remained at a low level. It was only in May of last year that there was a slight recovery, but the price dropped back again to 219/- in July and the price continued low until the present year. There has been some increase during the recent summer months when the price rose to 245/- in June and 245/- in July. Those were the average prices of pigs dead-weight delivered to factories.
That reduction in price over the past two years had its effect on supply. If you look at the picture of supplies of pigs delivered to the factories, you will find that, in October, 1954, 27,000 pigs per week were delivered to the factories. In 1955, the number was down to 19,000 odd and, in 1956, the present year, the number had fallen to 16,000. There you have, over the past two years, a very sweeping decline in the number of pigs delivered to the factories. That decline has kept pace with the decline in price. It is, therefore, clear that farmers are not the innocent or stupid type of people they were represented to be here this evening when another Bill was going through the House. They are intelligent enough to see where their interest lies. If prices and remuneration are not satisfactory, they tend to go out of production. That is why every Senator will welcome any attempt to stabilise prices at a remunerative level and to give to the producer some assurance that if he goes into production and expands it, he will not have to face a reduction in price, as has happened heretofore.
This Bill provides for the fixing of a minimum price for pigs. One of the drawbacks I see in connection with it is that that guarantee may be terminated without sufficient notice. I think the Minister said that the guarantee will remain in operation until March. If we could provide in this legislation that there should be no alteration in price—no reduction at any rate—without at least 12 months' notice to the producer, it would, I think, have a very marked effect on production and it would enable producers to expand production with a reasonable hope of getting out safely.
It costs quite a considerable amount of money to go into pig production. It costs money not only for the purchase of stock, but for the improvement or erection of houses, for the growing or the purchase of foodstuffs. There ought to be provided to the producer a reasonable guarantee of price. The guarantee that is provided under the present Bill is satisfactory enough, except, as I say, for two reasons. The first is that at the present time the price has been fixed rather low, I think. The 235/- per cwt. dead-weight for grade A pigs is not quite adequate. I think the price could be raised. I would not ask for anything very extravagant, but I think the price could be raised to at least 250/- per cwt. In addition to that, there should be a guarantee that prices will remain unchanged, that prices will not at least be reduced over a period of 12 months.
If those two changes were announced by the Minister, they would have a very marked effect on production; and not only that, it would be fair to those engaged in the industry. The people on whom, in the main, we depend for the increased production of pigs are the small farmers who raise pigs with family labour. If the Minister, in the closing stages of this Bill or when concluding the debate here to-day, could announce that at least a certain period of notice, say, 12 months, would be given to the producers before the price would be reduced, that would have a marked effect and would be an act of justice to a section of the community who have been greatly wronged over the years in regard to their reward for labour. The producer of pigs has not, except on rare occasions, been adequately rewarded for his work. It is a rather arduous work, entailing a considerable amount of knowledge, because anyone who tries to go into pig production or to remain in it without a fairly good technical knowledge of what is required in the industry, is going to lose money and lose money heavily—and would lose money even at the guaranteed price I have mentioned.
The Minister indicated that the system of grading pigs is to continue. I have not heard any serious objection from farmers' associations or from any progressive farmers to the idea of pigs being paid for on a graded basis. I think every intelligent person who is engaged in the agricultural industry realises that it is necessary to provide a first class product, not only for export but for our own home consumers. Therefore, I think that the grading of pigs will be readily accepted by our farmers. As far as I know, there is substantial co-operation between the farmers and the bacon factories in regard to this matter. One of the things that always prevented co-operation between farmers and those engaged in the handling of their product was the absence of fair treatment to the farmer. There is no use in expecting the farmer to produce a grade A article, unless there is a specific guarantee that he will be paid for it.
In the past, there was a variation not only in regard to price: there was also a variation from time to time in regard to the weights of pigs that were sought, the type of pigs that were sought and the grades that were sought by buyers. While it is true that this legislation does entail a certain amount of regulation—and, if you like, control in regard to the pig producing industry—I think that, if the price offered is fair, farmers in the main will accept it. Very frequently from 1936, when the principal Act, the Pigs and Bacon Act, was passed, there was considerable propaganda circulating amongst farmers against regulation, against control in the marketing of pigs. Most of that propaganda was propagated by the pig dealers and it was not entirely in the farmers' interests. The producers were told that the Government regulations were killing or had killed the pig industry. Of course, that never was true and I do not think it will be true in regard to the legislation that we are enacting here to-day.
What brought pig production down to a very low level was the war years, when no feeding stuffs could be obtained. The feeding stuff that would otherwise go to pigs, the home-produced feeding stuffs, were required for human consumption. That reduced very drastically the number of pigs, but it was that factor, not any measure of control or regulation, that brought about the decline in numbers. As I say, the numbers increased rapidly up to 1954. A decline set in at that time and has continued for the past few years. It is hoped, as a result of this legislation and as a result of better prices being offered, that the numbers of pigs will increase. The Minister will remember that in 1954 his attention was called to the very low prices prevailing for pigs at that time and he announced to a deputation of farmers that he needed time. "Give me time to get my breath and I will take the wobble out of the price of pigs," he said. Well, the wobble remained quite a long time, or the Minister must have taken a very long and very deep breath, because a very large number of our pigs wobbled completely out of existence. The pig population fell very rapidly during those years. That was a very great national loss. However, it is hoped that it will be repaired and I think that every member of this House will be anxious to co-operate in repairing it.
There is provision in this Bill for the payment of a subsidy on the export of bacon. There was a time when the Minister and others used to denounce the Government that was in power some years ago for subsidising exports, for paying John Bull, they said, to eat our better or to eat our bacon; but anyone who is intelligent and who gives consideration to this matter will realise that if you want to maintain stability of price, you must have some system of export subsidy.
I would like the Minister, when replying, to give a little more detail in regard to the financing of this system. What is the levy per head on all pigs purchased; what is the total amount raised by means of that levy; and how much will it be necessary to pay out in subsidies on exported bacon? I do not think anyone on this side of the House will accuse the Minister of subsidising or paying John Bull to eat our bacon. We on this side of the House are inclined to take a fair and reasonable view of matters of this kind and anything that can be done to expand or increase output in this important industry will be readily supported.
As I say, it is a pity that attempts were made to mislead the farmer in regard to the necessity, or desirability, of a certain measure of regulation in regard to the marketing of pigs. I heard a Deputy expressing a desire to get back to the good old days when there was no fixed price for pigs, no regulations, no control whatever, and when the pig jobbers reigned supreme and lorded it over the unhappy farmer. I have a distinct recollection of those days when pig jobbers, with their close union and complete co-operation amongst themselves, fixed the price for pigs. They ruled that the pigs be examined in a town at 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning and I remember at that time when the Waterford jobbers ordered that the pigs be laid in the streets, so that the jobbers could handle them more readily. You can imagine the difficulty the farmers had at that time. The Leader of the Fianna Fáil Government in 1936 was wise to introduce regulations governing this industry; otherwise, it could not have continued.
In addition to regulating, marketing and manufacturing here, something should be done to ensure a better system of marketing abroad. It is necessary and desirable that, since a regulation has been imposed to compel the bacon curers to export a certain quantity of their grade A bacon, that closer co-operation should be arranged between these curers to secure that their bacon would be put on the British market and sold under the best possible conditions. It is true that Irish bacon in Great Britain fetches 28/- a cwt. less than the best Danish bacon, and that is a condition of affairs which should not continue. We are capable of producing as good an article as the Danes. The difficulty is that we have not a sufficient quantity of it on the market and we have not a proper marketing system to get it across to the British people and sell it under the best possible conditions.
I do not want to quarrel with the Minister in regard to the introduction of the Landrace pig. That is a matter which should be weighed and carefully considered by the Minister and representatives of the farmers' associations and the Agricultural Production Council, or any other body of farmers with which he is in contact. One suggestion I should like to make is that if the Minister feels there is a danger of disease following on the introduction of this breed, he would consider the possibility of having a certain number of these pigs bred and kept on one of the Department's farms, completely isolated from the rest of the country, so that the incidence of disease, its effects, and the possibilities of its being spread could be carefully studied. That would meet the wishes of every reasonable person. Nobody wants to press the Minister to do something which might possibly be of harm to the whole industry and which it might not be possible to rectify afterwards. In dealing with hereditary or infectious diseases, one has to be extremely careful.
There is not any very widespread opposition to the regulations which prohibit coloured pigs. It is true that some of those breeds were exceptionally unpopular for a time at least. There is no doubt they were very productive and were very efficient converters of food into pork, but, at the same time, they did not produce the quality bacon, and quality bacon is the objective we have got to reach. I do not think the Minister, however, should be unduly severe in dealing with an occasional outbreak of colour amongst pigs, because, if there is anything in progeny, those outbreaks or throw-backs to the black colour will occur for many generations, in spite of anything the breeders can do.
If we are to put this pig producing industry on a permanent and secure basis, we must be very active in considering the whole question of feeding stuffs. It is true, and I think it will be accepted as true, that Irish grown barley is second to none as a feeding stuff for pigs. It is far superior to imported maize and produces a better type of bacon. Growers of barley should be encouraged not only to increase their acreage but to provide for the storage and utilisation of their grain. It is not possible for all growers of barley to use all their produce on their own farms in the feeding of their own pigs. There must be a certain number, particularly of large farmers, who will have a surplus of barley and they should be guaranteed a fair price and security of market.
On the other hand, it is not possible to expect that people who go into pig breeding on a substantial scale relative to the size of their farms, particularly small farmers, can produce sufficient barley on their own farms to feed the number of pigs which it is desirable they should feed. Therefore, they must purchase the surplus grain of the larger farmers. For that reason, it is essential that storage accommodation should be provided so that if farmers expand the area under barley they will not find any of it left on their hands or any difficulty in disposing of it after the harvest. There are some people with old-fashioned ideas who suggest that tillage farmers should take the retrograde step of going back to the old reaper and binder and should scrap the combine harvester. I do not think any reasonable person will agree to that. In a climate such as ours, the combine harvester is the logical method of reaping either barley or wheat. For that reason, any farmer who reaps his crop by that method should be assured that he will have the necessary storage and drying facilities available, as has been done in regard to wheat.