HC Deb 19 June 1940 vol 362 cc160-1
41. Sir Percy Hurd

asked the Minister of Supply whether he is aware that on the lines of the organisation of kitchen waste collection in the boroughs of Tottenham, East Ham and West Ham, about one ton of excellent animal feeding-stuffs per week is obtainable from the dwellings of every 6,000 of the urban population; and whether he will take steps to organise this source of supply on a national scale before effect is given to the proposal that two-thirds of the pig and poultry industries of this country should be destroyed?

Mr. H. Morrison

I am aware of the activities of the boroughs referred to in the collection of kitchen waste for stock feeding, and am in close touch with the arrangements proposed by a firm in Stratford, with the concurrence of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and my Department, whereby such waste, together with collections from other districts within a radius of 10 to 15 miles, would be treated for the production of feeding meals. A conference on the subject with representatives of boroughs in the London area has been held, and I am giving consideration to the possibility of developing similar arrangements in other parts of the country so far as suitable plants are available.

Sir P. Hurd

Will the right hon. Gentleman take into consultation the authorities in the rural areas?

Mr. Morrison

Yes, Sir; so far as they can function in the organisation they will be consulted.

Mr. Thorne

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that on collectors' carts in West Ham there is a big basket at the end in which to collect all the tins and cans?

Mr. R. Gibson

The right hon. Gentleman mentioned "other parts of the country" in his reply. Has he Scotland it view?