§ 50. Mr. Higgsasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will give an approximate estimate of the extent to which the reduction of the milk allowance to two pints per person per week is due, respectively, to failure of production and a higher consumption?
§ The Minister of Agriculture (Mr. R. S. Hudson)The reduction in the weekly allowance to non-priority consumers is not due to any failure of production but to the necessity for meeting the requirement of priority consumers and to an increased demand, compared with prewar, from the non-priority consumers. The quantities of whole milk available for sale so far this winter are well up to pre-war standards, although naturally they follow the normal seasonal trend, which means that the winter supply is always less than the summer supply.
§ Mr. HudsonThe extent of the increase in the demand for milk may perhaps be gauged from the fact that the consumption in July last was 40 per cent. greater than in July, 1939. Obviously an increase of this dimension far outstrips the pre-war margin between consumption and winter supplies, which can be put at about 20 per cent.
§ Sir H. WilliamsAs everybody I know is getting less milk and more is being consumed, who is getting it?
§ Mr. HudsonA very large number of people in this country who before the war were not in a financial position to buy milk are now taking their supply.
Dr. Russell ThomasWould the Minister use his influence to see that as far as possible the limited quantity of milk available is fresh, clean milk which has not been tampered with?