26. Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Food whether, with a view to ensuring an adequate home pig population, he will consider increasing the offal extraction rate and improve the quality of pig and cattle feedingstuffs; and if he will give an assurance that the present imports of feedingstuffs necessary to maintain the present increasing pig population will be continued.
§ Mr. StracheyAs to the first part of the Question, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Central Bristol (Mr. Awbery) on 24th October. As to the second part, I have good hope of being able to maintain imports of feeding-stuffs on the present scale.
Mr. De la BèreIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the reply he gave on that date was not satisfactory, and he really must give further thought to this matter? There is far too much unfinished thinking. Why do they not get down to it? Can we have much more than hope? We want a definite assurance that feedingstuffs will be imported. I am not satisfied at all.