HC Deb 18 July 1949 vol 467 cc945-7
10. Mr. Stokes

asked the Minister of Food how much fish surplus to the market's requirements has been sent either to the farmers for manure or to manure factories each month this year.

Mr. Strachey

I will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the quantities sent to fish-meal factories in the first six months of this year. The proportion is less than 2 per cent. of landings and by far the greater part will have been used for animal feedingstuffs.

Mr. Stokes

While, of course, I cannot calculate the figures at such short notice, is my right hon. Friend aware that the general view is that he is considering the old Tory policy of "dear scarcity" rather than "cheap plenty," and that this leads to the destruction of surplus fish?

Mr. Strachey

This fish must be used, I think, for animal feedingstuff purposes.

Mr. William Shepherd

Is it not a fact that at the same time as this fish has been sent to the mealyards to be made into fertilisers, the right hon. Gentleman has been importing foreign fish at guaranteed prices?

Mr. Strachey

We import fairly large quantities of foreign fish in order to satisfy the demand at the fixed maximum prices to the consumer.

Mr. Shurmer

Would my right hon. Friend consider temporarily decontrolling the price of fish whilst there is a great glut at the present time, and thus give the people in the great industrial centres an opportunity of getting cheaper fish?

Mr. Strachey

If I thought that the decontrol of the price of fish would produce a reduction, then I would certainly decontrol it, but I fear it might produce the opposite result.

Air-Commodore Harvey

Can the Minister say how much fish has been sent to the manure factories in the last month?

Mr. Strachey

The figures will show the hon. and gallant Member exactly how much. I cannot read out the table.

Following is the table:

The table below shows the disposal of unsold edible white fish for each of the first six months of 1949. Only in the case of the East Anglian ports where there is no fish meal factory are separate records kept of edible fish sold for manure or fertiliser and these figures are shown in column (iii); elsewhere the small quantities disposed of in this way are included in the figures of fish waste sent to the fish meal works, for processing into animal feeding meal or fertiliser, according to quality. We have no record of quantities sold directly to farmers.

1949 Total landings of Fresh White Fish Edible White Fish
Sold for manure Sold to Fish Meal Works for feeding meal or fertiliser
(i) (ii) (iii) (iv)
tons tons tons
January … 52,203 — 2
February … 57,170 — 39
March … 75,350 — 192
April … 75,935 — 67
May … 95,423 12 1,890
June … 83,059* 20* 2,650*
* Provisional.

We have no record of any herrings having been sold for manure but 5,050 tons of herrings have been sent during the period for reduction to oil and meal. As on many days of the year herring landings are bigger than market requirements, the use of herrings for this purpose is a valuable development which His Majesty's Government are encouraging.

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