§ 9. Mr. Championasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he proposes to take to bring down the cost of superphosphate and potassium chloride to British farmers to a level not exceeding that paid by Danish farmers.
Mr. AmoryAccording to the latest figures which are available from the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, the fertiliser subsidy reduces the cost of superphosphate to farmers in this country to a level below that apparently paid by Danish farmers. I am not prepared to extend the fertiliser subsidy to potash.
§ Mr. ChampionIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that although on 6th June he told me that prices in this country compared very favourably with those in the whole of Western Europe, in fact the figures he subsequently gave compared very badly indeed, and that at the date when he gave them we were 50 per cent. above the figure for the Danes in regard to superphosphates?
Mr. AmoryI must apologise to the hon. Member and to the House if I spoke a little too loosely. When I said that the prices compared favourably, I was thinking of fertiliser prices generally, at the prices paid by farmers here. The hon. Member will find that that is the case. The prices paid by farmers in regard to nitrogenous fertilisers, and, I believe, phosphates, are below the prices paid by European farmers. In the case of potash, the position is different.
§ Mr. ChampionIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that he is wrongly informed about potassium chloride? In 8 that case, we were above the rest of Europe, and 33 per cent, above Danish prices.
Mr. AmoryIn the case of phosphates, allowing for the subsidy, we are below the prices, as we understand them, in the rest of Europe and in Denmark. I will check up on the matter, and if I find that the position is different I will inform the hon. Member and the House.
§ 10. Mr. Championasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the delivered prices of nitrogenous fertiliser in Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Western Germany and the United Kingdom, respectively, on 1st June, 1957, on the basis of his most recent information from the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation.
Mr. AmoryI understand that the information for which the hon. Member asks is unlikely to be available from the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation before the end of the year.
§ 17. Mr. Willeyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the increase in the retail price per ton of sulphate of ammonia and the increase in the subsidy per ton from 1st July, 1951, to 1st July, 1957.
Mr. AmoryIn this period the price of sulphate of ammonia increased by £5 7s. per ton and the rate of subsidy from nil to £8 18s. 6d. per ton.
§ Mr. WilleyAs the increases in the price of this fertiliser make the increase in the price of coal chicken-feed, is it not about time that the right hon. Gentleman did something about the matter? Does he realise that the prices of this fertiliser have fallen drastically in the rest of the world and that we are the only country which shows these increasing prices?
Mr. AmoryI am aware that our prices for these nitrogenous fertilisers compare very favourably with prices in the rest of the world. I am also aware that the subsidy on fertilisers is of very great benefit to the farming community.
Mr. T. WilliamsWhile hon. Members in all parts of the House will agree with the Minister's last observation, does his Department keep a strict eye on the price 9 movements of these commodities, for which we necessarily provide a subsidy?
§ Mr. WilleyAs the right hon. Gentleman is out of touch with world prices, I give notice that I shall raise this matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible opportunity.