HC Deb 19 June 1950 vol 476 c841
16. Mr. Hurd

asked the Minister of Food if he has now disposed of his Department's purchase of frozen rabbits from Australia; and if he will state the loss to public funds which this transaction has involved.

Mr. Webb

As our stocks have not yet been cleared I cannot give a figure at present.

Mr. Hurd

Will the Minister dump in the sea all that remains of this poor quality rabbit meat so that the market for our freshly killed English rabbits may be revived?

Mr. Webb

No, Sir. They are going very rapidly. We shall dispose of them quite quickly at a fairly good price.

Mr. Somerville Hastings

Is there any evidence at all that fresh meat deteriorates by being frozen for a reasonable time?

Major Tufton Beamish

Is the Minister aware that if he had taken my advice last autumn the British taxpayers would not have been involved in this wholly unnecessary loss?

Mr. Webb

I was not in office last autumn, so I could not take the advice, excellent as it was.

Colonel Clarke

Does the Minister realise that he is losing food supplies at home by importing rabbits? Importation prevents rabbits from being killed in this country and they eat home-produced food?

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