§ 61. Mr. Boothbyasked the Minister of Food whether he will give an explanation of the action of his Department in first requesting fishermen to curtail supplies of herring for curing purposes for the remainder of the season and subsequently asking them to catch all they could.
§ Sir B. SmithYes, Sir. During the period of heavy catches the Ministry's Herring Control Officer, after consultation with merchants and curers, advises fishermen of the daily quantities which can be absorbed by the processing capacity in each port. This means that the fishermen are sometimes asked to reduce their catch and sometimes to increase it.
§ Mr. BoothbyDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that his Department has made a complete mess of this industry for the last two years?
§ Sir B. SmithIf my hon. Friend is criticising my predecessor, that is up to him, but the facts are that he did approach the industry and did say that he needed maximum production. He clearly meant the maximum quantity that could be used for immediate consumption and for curing. There is no justification in catches being reduced to a lower level in order to maintain prices.
§ Mr. Henderson StewartIs the Minister giving attention to the real solution of this problem, namely, increasing the processing and transport facilities at the various ports?
§ Sir B. SmithI am doing my utmost, in association with my right hon. Friend, to try and meet all these contingencies.