§ 49. Captain Peter Macdonaldasked the Minister of Agriculture what recommendations have been made by the Agricultural Improvement Council during recent months to provide that the results of research shall be applied more effectively on British farms; and to what extent these recommendations have been implemented?
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI am sending my hon. and gallant Friend a copy of the recent report of the Agricultural Improvement Council, covering the period from its appointment up to 30th June, 1942. The main channel by which the recommendations of the Council reach the farming community is through its Technical Development Committee, which is in close touch with the technical development subcommittees of county war agricultural executive committees. This link ensures that farmers are quickly made aware of new knowledge likely to improve farming practice. A variety of subjects has been dealt with in documents circulated to the sub-committees in recent months. As an example, I am sending the hon. and gallant Member a copy of a circular and accompanying book dealing with the 2447 knowledge recently gained on the subject of trace element deficiencies as a cause of crop failures.