50. Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can state, to the latest available date, the approximate total acreage of land in England and Wales which is made use of by golf clubs; the approximate total acreage of this land which has been ploughed up for growing corn or cultivated for vegetable growing; and whether, in view of the fact that dairy farmers have been compelled to plough up grassland, which is normally unsuited for corn growing, he will, in order to increase the milk supply, take steps to allow this land to revert to grass and institute a more vigorous campaign for the ploughing up of the golf courses?
Mr. HudsonI have no information as to the total acreage of land used by golf clubs or the total acreage ploughed up and cultivated. As regards the last part of the Question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for East Leicester (Major Lyons) on 13th May. Any contribution to be made by golf courses to the tillage area must be in addition to, and not in substitution for, that of dairy farms. The ploughing of grassland on dairy farms need not entail any reduction of the milk supply.
Mr. De la BèreDid not my right hon. Friend tell us only yesterday that we must have more winter milk? Why is it that these hundreds of thousands of acres remain fairways, with no corn or hay being produced on them at all? It is not right.