SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS BILL [Lords]. (Hansard, 28 August 1914)

§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir Harry Verney)
In asking the House to 346 give a Second Reading to this Bill I should like to repeat what my Noble Friend said in another place, that both he and the Board of Agriculture hope that it will not be necessary to put this Bill into force. It is introduced because a very large number of people have asked that it should be introduced. The Board, after considerable discussion, decided to introduce it, and they were particularly urged to do so by the Agricultural Consultative Committee which has been set up. The House will realise that a recommendation from that Committee must carry weight when I remind it that Sir Ailwyn Fellowes is the chairman, and the hon. Member for South Wiltshire (Mr. C. Bathurst) is one of the members of it. If I may, I will read just one sentence to show what the Bill involves. It says:— The Board of Agriculture may, for the purpose of maintaining a sufficient breeding stock, regulate— I would emphasise that word "regulate"— and restrict the slaughter of animals used for human food. The Bill only extends for one year and applies to Scotland and to Ireland. The powers given to the Board of Agriculture are very drastic, but the intention is the very reverse. The intention is to attempt, so far as possible, to keep the present system of farming normal, so that things should go on as they have done in the past. When the House is considering the question of the Second Reading I hope that they will consider whether the Bill is necessary at all. If they agree with the Board of Agriculture that it is necessary, then clearly it is only necessary in the case of panic or of sudden emergency, and, as this admittedly is to deal with panic or emergency, it is hoped that the House will allow the Board a free hand; but I am authorised by my Noble Friend to say that he contemplates consulting the live-stock committees on the one hand and the Consultative Committee on the other as to the least harmful way of carrying out any Order that may be made. I hope, further, that the House will have sufficient confidence in the Board of Agriculture to realise that they, too, will do everything in their power to safeguard the interests of the farmers.

§ Mr. C. BATHURST
Perhaps I may be allowed, as an old election opponent of the hon. Baronet, to congratulate him on his present official position, and on his lucid presentation of the provisions of this Bill. I cannot say that I welcome the Bill. I do not suppose that the farmers throughout the country will welcome it, but in certain emergencies that may arise I think such authority as is proposed by this Bill to be given to the Board of Agriculture is desirable, though I hope it will be clearly understood that the powers thereby given will not be exercised except in the case of serious emergency or in the event of panic amongst those who might conceivably destroy female or immature stock, resulting in the loss of a very valuable national asset in these times of serious crisis. This is a very drastic Bill, and I hope that the hon. Baronet and his Department will take care that no Order is issued, in any case, until the live-stock committees of the various provinces have been consulted, and until the Agricultural Consultative Committee have also given their opinion. I was glad to hear the hon. Baronetlay stress upon the word "regulate," as contrasted with the word "restrict," because I am quite sure that the Board of Agriculture have not at present a suitable staff scattered throughout the country to enable them sufficiently to decide in what cases slaughter is permissible and in what cases it is not permissible. I think the hon. Baronet will agree that the present officials by the very nature of their duties and training are not the sort of people who can say whether animals are fit for the butcher or not. If this restriction is going to be so exercised as to prevent a large number of mature animals ready for market being put upon the market, an injustice will be done to consumer and producer alike. On the other hand, regulation may be very desirable.
Fortunately we have in the country today probably more cattle than at any time during the last thirty years. Pigs, as we all know, were very short last year. There was, in fact, a decrease of 16 per cent. That shortage is being rapidly made up. There is undoubtedly a serious deficiency as regards sheep, and it is particularly in regard to sheep that I venture to hope that any necessary Order will be issued to prevent ewe lambs being slaughtered.
348 There is a considerable number still of young calves with literally no flesh upon them which are being sold at the present time in certain markets. I should like to see a definite restriction put now, and at once, upon the slaughter of heifer calves—at any rate, under the age of six weeks or two months—and I should like to see restrictions put at once upon the slaughter of yearling heifers or of two-year-old heifers which are being fatted for the purpose of beef by certain short-sighted people in some parts of the country. After all, the need for this Bill, if there is a need at all, arises from a feeling of panic consequent upon a fear of anticipated shortage in animal feeding-stuffs, and, if the hon. Baronet and his Department will do what they can to prevent these feeding-stuffs going out of the country and to foster the importation to this country of products like oats in particular, I cannot believe that it will ever be necessary to put the Bill into operation. The hon. Baronet will realise what I mean when I speak of the restriction of the export of animal feeding-stuffs and milling offals in particular. Considerable pressure is, I know, being put on the Board to allow certain millers at our ports to export, as they have been in the habit of doing, a large amount of bran, sharps, and other milling offals to Denmark and other countries. It would be a positive crime if that were permitted at the present time. It would at once send up the price of all offals, which are simply invaluable to small stock-owners, and particularly small pig-owners throughout the country. I know-that the Local Government Board is restricting the export of these articles, and if that Board and the Board of Agriculture will definitely say to the farming community, "We will continue to restrict the importation of these offals during the War," there will be no danger of such a slaughter taking place as to render necessary the putting into operation of the Act.
There remains the case of the horses, a large number of which have been mobilised. I must put this, because it affects the question of oats. Oats are our worst cereal crop this year. I do not know much about Scotland, but at any rate throughout the whole of England the oat crop is not satisfactory. We want a much larger 349 quantity of oats this year than usual in this country, owing to the mobilisation of the horses and to the large quantities flowing out of the country for military purposes abroad. Many of the horses mobilised are animals which, at this particular time of the year, usually would be out at grass, but now, of course, they are consuming oats. If the hon. Baronet is really anxious not to put these drastic powers into operation his Department will do all it can to prevent the export of milling offals and to secure the import into this country, either from our Colonies or from foreign countries, of the largest possible quantity of oats. With these observations, I offer no objection to the introduction of this Bill, drastic though it may be, but I venture to express the hope that the Lon. Baronet will see that proper advice is taken, as, indeed, he has suggested, before any Order is issued under it.

§ Mr. C. BATHURST
I want formally to move an Amendment, in order to ascertain the meaning of a certain expression, and I will, if necessary, move to leave out the words "at the expiration of one year from the present time," and to insert instead thereof the words "during the continuance of the War." I do not suppose I shall have to do that. I want to ask "what is the real object of this particular expression, bearing in mind that the War may come to an end before the expiration of one year?

§ The DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN
That question can be put on the Motion, "That Clause 1 stand part of the Bill."

§ Mr. C. BATHURST
I only want to know what particular virtue there is in these words. I take it the real object is to allow the powers to continue during the continuance of the War.

§ Sir H. VERNEY
I do not know that there is any particular virtue in these words. The power is intended to be purely temporary, although I am afraid my hon. Friend may be too sanguine when he suggests that one year may be too long a period. I hope he will not move his Amendment, seeing that the object of the Bill is perfectly plain.