§ 52. Lord Willoughby de Eresbyasked the Minister of Food if he will give comparative figures showing the money and nutritive value of poultry imported during the past 18 months, as against the money and nutritive value of egg production estimated to be lost during the next 18 months through the slaughter of fowls owing to fowl pest.
§ Mr. StracheyImports of poultry in the 18 months to the end of April, 1947, were valued at £7,558,450 (c.i.f.) and were equivalent to 1.2 calories and 0.16 grams of protein per head of the civilian population per day. The estimated loss of egg production over the next 18 months resulting from the slaughter of fowls owing to fowl pest, is about £47,000, valued at existing packing station prices for first quality eggs. In nutritive terms this is equivalent to 0.01 of a calorie and 0.001 of a gram of protein per head of the civilian population per day.
§ Mr. Quintin HoggNone the less is it not obvious from those figures that it would be very much better to import the feedingstuffs than to import the poultry?
§ Wing-Commander HulbertCan the Minister say what is the difference between a first-class and a second-class egg?
§ Mr. StracheyThe hon. and gallant Member would experience it when he ate it.