BYGONE DAYS: Provisions of agri bill are heavily criticised by UFU branch

Mr William Jackson, the branch president, explained the provisions of the Agriculture Bill, which he said were “very unsatisfactory as applied to Ireland”.

He said the bill had already passed the second reading, and he presumed would come up for a third reading in the coming autumn.

He said: “If we wish to take action, now is the time to bring strong pressure to bear.”

Speaking of his visit to the House of Commons for three days during the committee stage of the bill, he referred to important amendments which the representatives of the Farmers’ Union had been instrumental in having introduced.

Mr Jackson said that he had it on fairly good authority that when the bill came back to the House an effort would be made to have these amendments rescinded.

He remarked: “There are larger questions behind this. The bill only deals with prices for wheat and oats in Ireland. Wheat as a commercial quantity is non-existent so far as Ireland is concerned, and that reduced any benefit we are to receive from oats alone. Would we have sufficient recoupment from oats to warrant their support of the bill and have government control and all that nuisance with regard to tillage inspection, etc.?”

He remarked: “In my opinion the game was not worth the candle, in spite of what our member, the vice-president of the department, said about it being a boon to Ireland.”

Mr Jackson added: “It will only stultify the farmers if other farm produce was not introduced.” In his candid opinion it would be better if the bill was “withdrawn so far as Ireland was concerned and an amending bill for Ireland introduced”.