§ 24. Mr. T. Williamsasked the Minister of Agriculture whether any estimate has been made of the increased volume of feeding stuffs that will be required to be imported when the Government's full agricultural programme is achieved?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonI regret that it is impossible to make an estimate of the future import requirements of feeding stuffs; they will depend on the numbers of livestock kept and the quantity of feeding stuffs, including grass, produced on the farms in this country.
§ 26. Mr. Williamsasked the Minister of Agriculture the total weight of feeding stuffs that were imported during the year 1936 and the approximate weight of agricultural produce produced in this country during the same year?
§ Mr. MorrisonThe total weight of animal feeding stuffs imported into the United Kingdom in the year 1936, including offals from imported wheat and oilcakes from imported oilseeds, is estimated at approximately 9,000,000 tons. It is impossible to give a figure expressing the approximate total weight of agricultural produce produced in this country, owing to the great variety in the nature of the different products.
§ Mr. WilliamsIs it not the case that the actual volume of imports of feeding stuffs is almost equivalent to the actual volume produced at home, and that, the greater the home production, the greater is the volume of imported feeding stuffs that will be necessary? Has the right hon. Gentleman considered that question in relation to a possible war?
§ Mr. MorrisonI should not be prepared to accept the premise of the hon. Gentleman, but I would say that I hope that the proposals I announced on Thursday last will result in increasing supplies of home-produced feeding stuffs for animals in this country.