asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he has any proposals for the rationalisation of creameries; and if he will make a statement on what is considered to be a minimum viable unit.

Very considerable voluntary rationalisation and reorganisation has taken place in the creamery industry in the past decade. Rationalisation is primarily a matter for creameries themselves but I will continue to encourage and foster progress in this direction.

As the viability of individual manufacturing units may vary depending on such considerations as the density of the milk supply and the products manufactured it is not feasible to indicate the minimum requirements of a viable unit.