19. Mr. De la Bèreasked the Minister of Food what further steps he is taking to augment the supplies of eggs this year 16 to meet the greater increased demand occasioned by the continued shortage of meat.
§ Mr. WebbI would refer the hon. Member to the second part of the reply given to the hon. Member for Cornwall. North (Sir H. Roper) on 11th June.
Mr. De la BèreIs not the egg supply to some 50 million people throughout the country all-important; is it not a fact that the allocation for 1951 is very much less than it was in 1950; and why is it that the Government go on discouraging the home egg producer? There is no excuse. It is thoroughly unsatisfactory.
§ Mr. WebbWe are not discouraging the home producer. We are about to bring up the price of home-produced eggs to 6s. a dozen. What we are trying to aim at is to get a balance of supply over the whole year, with the co-operation of the farming interests, who are very anxious indeed to work with us. The price now is going up, and we hope to supply many more home-produced eggs in winter than has ever before been the case.
§ Mr. NabarroIs it not a fact that the present short-fall in production during the peak period as compared with last year is a direct result of the thoroughly uneconomic price of 4s. 3½d. a dozen. whereas the lowest economic price is considered to be 4s. 9d. a dozen?
§ Mr. NabarroAsk the farmers.
§ 28. Mr. Fortasked the Minister of Food why the period between 1st February and 2nd May, 1951, was chosen for the oil sealing and cold storing of eggs.
§ Mr. WebbBecause eggs produced in the spring are of the best quality and therefore most suitable for storage and because they are more plentiful then than at any other time of the year.
§ Mr. FortIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there was no surplus of eggs during this period this year, and could he not have made proper arrangements so that the eggs reached the market instead of being put into store?
§ Mr. WebbThat is one of the difficulties of organising in advance for the imponderable factors, which are conditioned by the climate and all sorts of other uncontrollable things. In the case of making arrangements for oil dipping, it is a long and complicated process which we had to set in motion well in advance of the flush period on certain assumptions. These assumptions have not been realised, and, therefore, we were quite right to go ahead at that time.
§ Mr. W. Robson-BrownIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that if the backyard poultry keeper is given adequate food he will take care of the egg problem for himself?