57. Mr. E. P. Smithasked the Minister of Food the total tonnage of animal feedingstuffs which has been exported from this country during the year ended 31st December, 1946; and indicate the recipient countries and the relative percentages.
§ Mr. StracheyAs the reply includes a long table of figures, I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
Mr. SmithCan the right hon. Gentleman say why, under present conditions, we should be exporting any animal feedingstuffs at all?
§ Mr. StracheyI can give the total. It is 16,000 tons, of which over 95 per cent. went partly to the Channel Islands while the other was swopped with the French for groundnuts which we wanted. [HON. MEMBERS: "Swopped?"] "Exchanged," if hon. Members prefer it, but I repeat, "swopped," if Mr. Speaker (has no objection to the term.
§ Following is the answer:
| TOTAL TONNAGE OF ANIMAL FEEDINGSTUFFS EXPORTED FROM U.K. DURING YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1946 (a), RECIPIENT COUNTRIES AND RELATIVE PERCENTAGES. | ||
| Tons. | Percentage of Total. | |
| Channel Islands (b) | 7,241 | 44.27 |
| Other British Countries. | ||
| Eire | 38 | .24 |
| Ascension and St. Helena (d). | 44 | .27 |
| S.W. African Territory | 20 | .12 |
| S. Rhodesia | 8 | .05 |
| British India | 91 | .56 |
| Federated Malay States | 5 | .03 |
| Australia | 25 | .15 |
| New Zealand | 31 | .19 |
| Canada | 24 | .14 |
| Falkland Islands | 5 | .03 |
| Other British Countries (under 5 tons). | 19 | .12 |
| Foreign Countries. | ||
| Faroe Islands (c) | 495 | 3.03 |
| Finland (g) | 50 | .31 |
| Sweden (g) | 30 | .18 |
| Norway (g) | 6 | .04 |
| Denmark (g) | 7 | .04 |
| Poland—including Danzig (g) | 89 | .54 |
| Germany (f) | 577 | 3.53 |
| Netherlands (g) | 106 | .65 |
| France (e) | 7,333 | 44.83 |
| Switzerland (g) | 106 | .65 |
| Other Foreign Countries (under 5 tons) (g). | 6 | .04 |
| Total 16,356 | ||
| (a) Provisional figures only axe available for the month of December. | ||
| (b)Supplies are provided sufficient to maintain in the Channel Islands the level of animal rations in force in Great Britain. | ||
| (c)The U.K. accepted responsibility for supplies to the Faroe Islands from the date of the establishment of bases in the Islands. This arrangement was terminated in October, 1946, and the responsibility assumed by Denmark. | ||
| (d) Special deliveries rendered necessary by the failure of normal supplies. | ||
| (e)Groundnut cakes and meals in exchange for an equivalent quantity of ground nuts. In consequence of this exchange the U.K. neither gained nor lost any feeding stuffs. | ||
| (f) The whole of this item consists of straw. | ||
| (g)The majority of these items consist of hay or straw and they do not contain any rationed feeding stuffs. |