§ 52. Mr. Evelyn Walkdenasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that the secretary to the Surrey war agricultural executive committee has informed a local authority in its area that 629 local authorities generally are being discouraged from running municipal piggeries; and whether this communication represents the policy of the Ministry?
Mr. HudsonI understand that the Surrey war agricultural executive committee have given advice in this sense. I have instructed war agricultural executive committees that urban food waste should, wherever practicable, be made available to existing pig and poultry keepers to enable them to supplement their reduced supplies of normal feeding-stuffs, and am informed by the Surrey war agricultural executive committee that there is evidence in their county of a demand from farmers for further supplies of food waste or swill. In present circumstances it is not considered desirable that new municipal piggeries should be established where available swill can be disposed of to existing stock keepers.