§ 44. Mr. T. Smithasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to state the views of the Government on the marketing proposals recently submitted to him by the National Farmers' Union and the National Poultry Council?
§ 47. Mr. Mathersasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to make a statement of the Government's policy regarding the poultry industry?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonAs the hon. Members will be aware, the proposals of the Poultry Technical Committee, which have now been published, provide for the setting up of a Stock Improvement Commission with functions of control in regard, among other things, to the distribution of breeding stock, hatching eggs, and day-old chicks and to a grading scheme for breeding farms. The marketing proposals to which the hon. Member 1521 refers, provide, for their part, for the setting up of a producers' marketing board to regulate certain distributive functions, with special reference to the standardisation of grading and packing of commercial egg supplies. In inviting the bodies representative of the industry to acquaint me with their views on the report of the Technical Committee, I am asking them to reconsider their marketing proposals, in order to see whether the results which they and the Committee desire could not be achieved with economy and efficiency through a single organisation. I am also inviting the bodies representing distributors to consider this question from their point of view.
§ Mr. MathersBefore coming to a final decision, is the right hon. Gentleman keeping in mind the statement that he made to me some time ago, that the position of the mixed farmer with other interests is a much better one than that of the small, exclusively poultry farmer?
§ Mr. MorrisonI am trying to keep in mind all relevant considerations.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsWill the right hon. Gentleman make sure, before he finally approves any marketing scheme, that it
| Year. | Arable, (a) | Permanent Pasture, excluding rough grazings.(a) | Total cultivated area (a) | Workers, (b) | ||
| 1913 | … | … | 11,058,233 | 16,071,149 | 27,129,382 | 651,000(c) |
| 1920 | … | … | 12,019,745 | 14,487,266 | 26,507,011 | 869,183(d) |
| 1933 | … | … | 9,249,886 | 15,869,762 | 25,119,648 | 715,546 |
| 1937 | … | … | 9,023,800 | 15,756,521 | 24,780,321 | 631,657 |
| (a) On agricultural holdings of over one acre. | ||||||
| (b) Excluding the occupier of the holding, his wife and do nestic servants. | ||||||
| (c) Excluding all members of the occipier's family and dotnestic servants. | ||||||
| (d) For 1921; no information is a are not available for 1920 Estimates of the total value of the agricultural output are not available for the years named. The nearst avilable are: |