§ 35. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set up an inquiry into the prices at which egg packers actually sell eggs, and into their profit margins and returns on capital employed.
§ The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry, of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Harmar Nicholls)No, Sir. Investigations into egg packers' costs are already made by my Department from time to time.
§ Mr. CollinsIs the hon. Gentleman aware that egg packers also make profits as wholesalers, and that the present arrangements favour them unduly, because they sell eggs to Nedal only when the demand is less than the supply? In other words, they back winners both ways. Will the hon. Gentleman not look into 578 that point, because it is obvious that the margins are too high?
§ Mr. NichollsThat is a point which is continually looked into. It is well to remember that the element of profit in the present basic margins represents less than ½ per cent. of the value of the turnover.