§ 2. Mr. Crouchasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the acreage of peat bog in England and Wales.
Mr. AmoryI regret that this information is not available, but there is no doubt that the acreage is quite considerable.
§ Mr. CrouchIs my right hon. Friend aware that, with the application of the correct amount of fertiliser and seeds, there are enormous possibilities of increasing the food production of this country by taking care of these peat bogs and reconditioning them?
Mr. AmoryI believe that there are and that my hon. Friend is right. One difficulty, however, is that one bog varies enormously from another bog, and they have to be considered specifically. The amount of money that would be worth spending on one area would be very different from that worth spending on another area; so every case must be considered on its merits We have had a number of inquiries carried out already.
§ Mr. CrouchIs my right hon. Friend aware that this can be done for about £15 per acre and that, with the use of fertilisers, the recovery is £7 10s. per acre, so that the actual cost to the producer is about £7 10s. per acre?