asked the Minister for Agriculture if his Department monitors the price paid by meat factories for reactor cattle; and if he is satisfied with those prices.

My Department keep under general review the prices paid for reactor cattle. Having regard to the disease status of such animals, their limited marketing potential, their mixed quality, and the levels of grant payable by my Department I am satisfied that, by and large, the prices paid for reactor cattle are not unreasonable.

Would the Minister agree, while there is competition for the heavy carcass, that in relation to the small two to five cwt. because of lack of competition among the processing plants, only a very small number of people are handling those and the price is very low in many instances?

The Deputy will be aware that some small animals are almost useless for further processing. There are limited outlets for carcasses of yearlings and one-and-a-half year old calves.

It is correct that some carcasses are particularly useless and that is so because people do not get any payment for them.

As regards payment for reactor cattle in our factories, in many cases the cattle are not at a weight or in a condition to be killed. The factories are limited as to their use for them.

Is the Minister aware there is gross farmer dissatisfaction with the price paid for heavy carcass reactors? What criteria do the Department lay down vis-à-vis the stamping of these carcasses and what use is made of reactor beef?

Stamping is carried out under the supervision of the veterinary inspectors in the factories. This is normal practice. As regards outlets for meat from reactors, this may be sold on the domestic market or exported to third countries. Such meat is excluded from the EEC markets under a directive passed in 1964. Meat from brucellosis reactor animals can be sold on the domestic market or exported to any foreign country.

Would the Minister agree that most of the reactor beef is sold on the domestic market and little, if any, is sold to third countries? Outlets for the purchase of reactor beef here are very few and, as a result, the price paid to farmers is low.

Outlets for reactor beef are limited and because so many such carcasses are almost unusable from the point of view of beef, this further restricts the amount that comes on the market. Some of it is exported to third countries.