§ 103. Mr. R. McNEILLasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he is aware that the closing of the Government slaughterhouses throughout the county of Kent is causing much dissatisfaction amongst the farmers: if he will say for what reason this step has been taken; and whether, in order to obviate the loss and inconvenience so occasioned to farmers, he will take steps to have the slaughterhouses reopened during the continuance of meat control, or, alternatively, to give authority to market chairmen to allocate cattle and sheep on the application of owners to butchers on the deadweight basis.?
Mr. ROBERTSI have been asked to reply. These slaughterhouses were closed because the stock consigned to them by the farmers was not sufficient to justify their continuance, and at present I do not propose to reopen them. I regret that, owing to administrative difficulties, it is not possible to adopt the alternative proposal made in the last part of the question.