HC Deb 30 April 1952 vol 499 cc1443-4
25. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

asked the Minister of Food what loss he estimates will be incurred by his Department in disposing of 460,000 tons of 1951 main crop potatoes for stock feeding.

Major Lloyd George

About £3,500,000, including overheads.

Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

Will the Minister give an assurance that this really substantial loss will not be recouped by a further cut in the subsidy on some other item of staple food?

Major Lloyd George

This is a perfectly normal procedure under the guarantee of the 1947 Act, and it has been followed by previous Governments for some years.

Mr. Osborne

Is it not a fact that this loss is very much smaller than the loss in 1948, when Polish potatoes were imported at £26 a ton and allowed to rot completely?