§ 66. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the serious decline in the numbers of eggs delivered to packing stations, he will substitute for the 1939 basis for allocating poultry rations a system whereby the ration entitlement is related to actual deliveries of eggs to approved centres.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Hurd) on 24th November.
§ Mr. CollinsIs my right hon. Friend aware that the reply to which he refers was in respect of an increased ration, whereas this Question relates only to another method of distributing existing supplies of feedingstuffs; is he further aware that in some counties the average number of eggs per hen per annum to the packing stations is only 50; and will he, therefore, look into this matter again?
§ Mr. WilliamsLarge quantities of eggs are at present produced on little or no rations of feedingstuffs at all. It follows, therefore, that, without a large increase of feedingstuffs supplies, the use of deliveries of eggs as a basis for poultry rationing would always be at the expense of pig and poultry keepers, who rely mainly or wholly on poultry rations.