§ 1. Mr. Chichester-Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement about the progress of his talks with the Minister of Agriculture in the Republic of Ireland in relation to the effects, on the dead meat industry in Northern Ireland, of the Anglo-Eire Trade Agreement.
§ The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Cledwyn Hughes)Discussions with the Republic of Ireland, at both Ministerial and official level, on the trading relationships between our two countries under the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement are still continuing. In the context of the discussions of the balance and phasing of cattle and beef shipments the particular interests of Northern Ireland are being kept in mind.
§ Mr. Chichester-ClarkApart from the damage to the recently established meat 416 plants in Northern Ireland, has not the arrival of heavy supplies of carcase meat on the British market been at the expense of the Republic of Ireland in regard to store cattle? Can we not do something about that?
§ Mr. HughesWe are fully aware of the position. As the hon. Gentleman knows, the carcase meat subsidy was introduced in 1965, before the Irish Free Trade Area Agreement of July, 1966. It is worth bearing in mind that the money paid by the United Kingdom to the Irish Republic under the Agreement accounted for only one-quarter of the cost of the carcase meat subsidy to the Irish Republic in 1967–68, but we are bearing the meat plants in mind in our discussions.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamCan we still afford to subsidise Eire agriculture by £10 million a year from the United Kingdom taxpayers?
§ Mr. HughesThe hon. Gentleman knows full well what the terms of the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Area Agreement were, and I think these will be beneficial to both countries. The important thing is that we should have these consultations to make sure that the flow from one country to another is at a reasonable rate.