34. Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Agriculture what steps the Government are taking to encourage the feeding of livestock on the heavy yielding varieties of potatoes; and whether they will consider freeing from the control of the Potato Marketing Board an approved acreage throughout the country for this purpose?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonThe growing of potatoes solely for feeding to livestock would be uneconomic to producers, and no steps are therefore being taken in the direction indicated in the first part of the question. The answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.
Mr. De la BèreIs my right hon. Friend not aware that practically all the feeding stuffs used in this country have to be imported; and what steps does he intend to take to make us self-supporting in this respect?
§ Mr. MorrisonThat is not so. About 26 per cent. or 30 per cent. are imported, but my hon. Friend seems to forget that one of the main feeding stuffs for cattle is grass.