§ 72. Sir FORTESCUE FLANNERYasked the Food Controller whether he is aware that the Ministry of Food formed six months ago wholesale meat supply associations and appointed them Government agents to supply dead meat to retail butchers, the Government guaranteeing them against loss or leakage of every kind and in addition paying them a commission of 2½ per cent. on their turnover; and that the Ministry of Food requested these retailers, who had hitherto bought their own live stock and slaughtered them, also to form retail associations for the purpose of procuring supplies under Government control, but with no guarantee or commission; whether he can now state what has been the aggregate cost to the Ministry 1120 of the wholesale meat supply associations for the six months of its existence; what has been the cost on the turnover per hundredweight and per head of cattle and sheep so sold; and will he state the corresponding costs of the retailers' associations during the same period; whether he is aware that, by reason of Government subsidies to the wholesale associations, retailers have been supplied by the Government agents at lower prices than those at which the ready-money live-stock buyers have been able to procure their supplies; and that their associations have been compelled in consequence to buy of their members to make up their losses, although both classes of retailers are compelled to keep to the same scale of prices in selling meat; and whether, seeing that the present system operates also against farmers who fatten stock, it will be reconsidered?
§ Major ASTORMembers of wholesale meat supply associations are required to give up trading on their own account and they buy and sell solely for the Central Live Stock Fund. They are guaranteed against loss and receive a fixed commission of 2½ per cent. Retail butchers, who have been formed into group committees or joint buying associations, continue to trade on their own account; they therefore take the chance of profit or loss on the grading of beasts purchased by them on the live-weight basis. In point of fact grading losses are frequently offset by the profit on offals, which the retailer who receives dead meat from a wholesale association does not obtain. It is too early at present to form any trustworthy estimate of the comparative cost of these various associations. The present system can only operate adversely to farmers who fatten stock in the rare cases where cattle are graded too low on the live-weight basis. The remedy for this is the purchase of all stock on the dead-weight basis, and in many districts farmers are inclined to welcome the extension of this method.
§ Sir F. FLANNERYIs there complete agreement between the Board of Agriculture and the Department which my hon. Friend represents upon this question in relation to farmers and butchers in their respective interests?
§ Major ASTORThe Departments concerned are in constant consultation on these matters.
Sir F. HALLIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the London butchers are still suffering very great inconvenience in regard to the quality of meat that is supplied.