Bygone Days: Ministry says there is no evidence of cross border cattle smuggling ‘racket’ (1954)
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The statement, together with another from the Ulster Farmers' Union, referred to a report in the Belfast News Letter on of an interview with a customs official.
The official had asserted what he described as “the greatest smuggling racket since the Border was established,” and that the deficiency in payments scheme for fat cattle was costing taxpayers tens of thousands of pounds.
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The ministry's statement read as follows: “Reports appearing recently in the press suggest that there is widespread abuse, of the Fatstock Guarantee Scheme by reason of cattle, smugglers across the border, being permitted to earn deficiency payments at Northern Ireland auctions.


“These smuggled cattle are alleged to be bought in the auction – by collusion with other persons – by the vendor himself at very low prices in a rigged market and then smuggled back across the border.
"There are two aspects of this question with which the ministry is familiar. Smuggling is an ever present possibility, but the appropriate authorities have been most active and successful in keeping down illicit movements of cattle.
“There is no evidence that these movements have recently reached alarming proportions. It is a fact, moreover, that but for the active connivance of farmers in Northern Ireland, the incidence of smuggling would be very much less.”
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The ministry's statement continued: “Auction centres for fatstock are an innovation in Northern Ireland, and, subject to minor teething troubles, have on the whole been efficiently conducted during the short period since de-control.


“Moreover, the general level of prices realised at these markets is not out of line with that ruling at cross-Channel markets when regard is had to the cost of freight and expenses and risks involved in moving live animals to consuming areas in Great Britain.
“On one or two occasions there has been at auction centres a lower degree of competition than is normal, but the ministry has no evidence of widespread rigging of prices.
“Reference has also been made in the press to the appearance at auction marts of cattle bearing punch marks in both ears, and thus raising the question of disqualification for deficiency payments.
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“The mark in the left ear shows that the beast has been imported, and that in the right ear shows it has earned calf subsidy in Northern Ireland.


“The presence of a beast with dual markings at a Northern Ireland auction centre is a prima facie indication of irregularities having been perpetrated at some previous stage in the life of the beast. It might have taken the form of smuggling Eire, calves temporarily into Northern Ireland to obtain calf subsidy.
“Alternatively, the beast might have been born in Northern Ireland and properly subsidised as a calf, and, having been finished in the south, is now presented as an imported beast at a Northern Ireland auction.
“In either case, a contravention of government regulations has been committed, and the ministry, therefore, is not prepared to regard these animals as eligible for deficiency payments.”
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Turning its attention to the interview which was carried in the News Letter, the ministry's statement remarked: “Asked to comment on an interview with a customs official which appeared in a Belfast paper on Wednesday, the Minister of Agriculture today expressed his surprise that a civil servant should enter into public criticism of government policy as between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.


“The minister voiced grave doubt as to the reality of the picture sketched by the customs officer of certain practices at auction centres. He is in fact convinced that the allegation that such practices are common is not correct.”
The Ulster Farmers’ Union had also issued a statement reflecting on the alleged smuggling of cattle across the border.
The statement read: “In a recent press report a customs official suggested that Ulster farmers were themselves responsible for the present smuggling of livestock from Eire into Northern Ireland and it was implied that farmers in the province were condoning the smuggling for private gain. The Ulster Farmers’ Union recognises the serious problems involved and has made representations to the Ministry of Agriculture for Northern Ireland to take steps to have the abuses remedied.
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“Indeed the Union has had discussions during the past week with the Minister of Agriculture regarding the problems arising from the illegal movement of livestock across the land frontier between Eire and Northern Ireland.
“It will be appreciated that the removal of such abuses is not within the power of the Ulster Farmers' Union, though In the Interests of producers the union is vitally concerned. The prevention of smuggling is surely the responsibility of the departments concerned in Her Majesty's government.”
The statement continued: “The union is astonished at the opinion expressed by this official that the scheme (by which he means, presumably, the Fatstock Guarantee Scheme) should ever have been applied to Northern Ireland.


“Apart from the fact that this is hardly a matter for comment by a customs official, the union believes it monstrous that a scheme put into operation by the Imperial Government should be jeopardised by the apparent failure of a government department to carry out its duties.
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“In discussions which took place between the farmers' unions and the government before this scheme was introduced, the many inherent weaknesses and defects embodied in the proposals were stressed by the farmers' representatives, and the Ulster Farmers' Union is justifiably aggrieved that these weaknesses should now be laid at the door of the Ulster farmer.
“The union protests on behalf of the farming community against the implication that Ulster farmers are responsible for the corrupt and illegal practices referred to. The farming community as a whole is aware of the seriousness of the situation; has been and is prepared fully to co-operate in any way possible with the authorities to stop the illegal movement of livestock.”
Dr Robert Simpson, MP for Mid Antrim at Stormont, stated that the present marketing scheme for fatstock could be destroyed by two things - “a large-scale development in the smuggling of Eire cattle, and the successful establishment of a 'ring' to keep down the prices of smuggled cattle so that deficiency payments could be claimed.”
He added that to stop such rings being formed was “every bit as important as stopping smuggling itself”.
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Dr Simpson said that he believed attempts had been made to form rings, but he said that he had no evidence that those attempts had been successful.
He added that he had been keeping a close eye on the Ballymena livestock auction, “and there was certainly no ring there”.
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