Ulster MP makes plea for local farmers during his speech at Westminster (1954)

He stressed that there was no comparison between farming in Ulster and farming in England or Scotland, for “in Northern Ireland we are a community of small farmers where difficulties stand in the way of any system of organised farming”.

Mr O'Neill said: “During the war, when we had fixed prices and guaranteed markets, we had a period of relative prosperity. Farmers took every advantage of the facilities to increase production, not only quantity, but of quality. Agricultural production increased five-fold – a remarkable tribute to Ulster's small farmers. The fertility of the land increased and mechanisation took place on a substantial scale, and the farmers then were very wisely directed by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Agriculture.”

He continued: “With decontrol the whole system of agricultural economy, built up over a period of 15 years, was driven into confusion and chaos. One of the first commodities to come under the hammer was grass seed. Although there was a large quantity in Northern Ireland the government allowed it to be imported from the Continent and in Ulster it was allowed to decay. Inside two years the fund depreciated to the extent of £750.000. Last year we had a tremendous surplus of potatoes.”

Mr O'Neill said that it was “practically impossible” for a period of two to three months that year to get fat sheep sold. He said pig producers had “also suffered severely”.

He said that he believed that Ulster farmers “had a very definite grievance in these matters” and added that he hoped that the government would give it “their earliest consideration”.

He said that there was no comparison between the cost of marketing produce as between the northern counties of Scotland and the Counties of Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry.

He said: “Ulster farmers have to go through a process involving two or three days, and I would like to see the government give them a parity of price at the port of entry in England of Scotland. They will be quite content to accept that I believe and they are entitled to it because the 1947 Act has never been repealed. At least, if the government attitude is not illegal, it is certainly a very bad breach of faith and the Northern Ireland farmers resent it very much.”

He complained that the system of fixing farm prices was not fair, because it did not take into consideration the high cost of feeding stuffs in Northern Ireland.

He explained: “For every one penny per cwt. that feeding stuffs in Britain rose or fell, the price of pigs would automatically rise or fall at the annual fixing of prices, by one penny per score.

“On that basis, he thought, they are entitled to an increase in the price of pigs of 4s 2d a score. If you have your prices fixed on a price of 29s 10d per cwt, why should not ours be based on 34s per cwt, which is the price we pay for our feeding stuffs?”

Mr O'Neill pointed out that Ulster farmers paid more for agricultural machinery.

He said: “Every tractor cost £35 more than it cost the farmer in England. I think we have a very good case for parity of price. If we get it at the port of entry in England or Scotland we shall be very satisfied.”

Dealing with the proposed increase of 1s in the weekly contribution of insurance stamps, Mr O'Neill said that small farmers would have to pay 8s a week. He explained that the Ulster government had a system whereby they granted exemption to farmers who occupied farms under £10 valuation. He said that he would like that to be raised to £20 valuation.

“I would make a special appeal to the minister for National Insurance to give that little concession to Ulster farmers and I'm sure It would be appreciated,” he said.

He suggested that they should try and develop the agricultural industry on more modern lines and try to eliminate freight charges and high transport costs. He also added that he believed that they should undertake meat dressing and chilled foods on a large scale.

“Eliminate transport costs and give employment to our local people,” he said. “Many thousands of these people could be employed in a dressed meat industry. We could have tanneries and many subsidiary industries.

“We could use our surplus milk and eggs for a confectionery business. We could make fancy cakes. The English people I'm sure would be delighted with them. We could make sweets and chocolate.

“We have not got the capital and no community of small farmers would be able to provide sufficient to develop such industries. It must be made available for them and it would be much better for the government to provide capital for these industries than to allow the unemployed of Northern Ireland to be constant drain on the unemployment fund there.”