Clause 23. — (ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONS OF PIG INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.) (Hansard, 27 May 1957)

Mr. Amory
I beg to move, in page 15, line 30, at the end to insert "marketing".
Here again, I am proposing a series of Amendments to meet a point raised in Committee by, I think, the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams) and the hon. Member for Deptford (Sir L. Plummer). They persuaded me that we should make it clear beyond a peradventure that the Authority should have power to investigate and, as it were, supervise all activities from the rearing of the pig to retailing.
I ought to say that, while including marketing as an activity which can be investigated, the Authority could not, under this Amendment, itself promote or carry out marketing schemes, nor would it be able regularly to buy and sell pigs, except so far as such trading may be ancillary to its other activities provided for in the Bill.

§ Sir Leslie Plummer (Deptford)
I should be less than grateful were I not to thank the right hon. Gentleman for the way in which he has accepted the Amendments moved in Committee and has fulfilled his promise that, if he were satisfied with the arguments after he had considered them, he would, in fact, table 81 the Amendments which he has now tabled. I am glad also because I feel that a great disservice was done to the pig industry by the decision of the Commission that the marketing of pigs should not be undertaken by a board. I do not think that it was a matter of design, but it was a matter of fact that, as a result of that decision, the impression was left that the marketing of both bacon and pork was completely satisfactory. The fact that the Commission had recommended against there being a marketing hoard certainly spread the view that all is well in the marketing of pigs. Those of us who are concerned with the production of both pork and bacon know that the reverse is true.
I do not doubt that the right hon. Gentleman has read the remarks of the President of the Ulster Farmers' Union, who, on taking office a week or so ago, said: Marketing is of more importance than all the considerations of good husbandry, high output, and low costs put together. I do not go as far as that gentleman; in my view, he exaggerates the situation. If hon. Members care to read the whole of his speech, they will find that he talks about the strength of the Farmers' Union which. in itself, is quite an exaggeration. But, without going as far as he goes, I say that there is no question that we have disorderly marketing, and the powers which the Minister is now giving to the Development Authority to attend to the weaknesses in marketing and to make recommendations will be accepted with gratitude by everybody concerned in pig and bacon production in this country.
I notice that the Joint-Parliamentary Secretary, speaking at the Elmswell Bacon Factory carcase competition—or whatever it was—a little while ago, praising the production of English pork and bacon, said that there was, nevertheless, too much variation in quality and in conformation. I wish he had added—this is becoming a "King Charles' head" of mine that there is too much variation in curing in this country. We have not yet understood what the Danes understood twenty-five years ago, that, if one produces a pig bred for the purpose and if one then cures to the taste of the customer, one will capture the market. It was a simple problem which the Danes 82 had to solve, and they solved it. It is a pity that we have throughout our country this variation in cure; it is, I think, partly responsible for the fact that many British housewives, even in rural areas, go into the shops and ask for Danish instead of home-produced bacon.
I hope that the investigations of the Development Authority will be directed into making representations to the right hon. Gentleman and to the trade as to how orderly marketing through the proper siting of markets, the proper siting of bacon curing factories, etc., can he accomplished as speedily as possible. I accept, of course, what the Minister has said about his Amendments not indicating that the Government will encourage the setting up of a marketing board, but, apart altogether from that, there is a great deal of very useful work which the Development Authority can now do.
Finally, I want to remind the Minister and. I hope, ultimately, the Authority, that there is no industry in the country which spends so little on market research and investigation as agriculture. If There were another industry producing£1,200 million worth of wealth a year, an industry comparable with agriculture, which followed agriculture's line. except in the case of potatoes, milk, and now eggs, and let marketing, as it were, "go hang", that industry would find itself in a very rocky position. If it is to impress itself on the nation as an industry the prosperity of which is vital, agriculture must study not only its production methods in an attempt to produce food as cheaply as possible, but it must also study market trends, market tastes, distribution problems, etc. Money spent in that direction is not an extravagance but an investment.
I hope that the Pig Industry Development Authority, in considering the problems now facing the industry as a result of the present haphazard marketing, will be determined to provide for producer, curer, wholesaler and grocer the information that all of them must have if this industry is to be organised on a proper, efficient, and prosperous basis.

Mr. Amory
I beg to move, 15, line 39, to leave out: at the request of the Authority". This Amendment is the result of suggestions made by Members in Committee, including the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. T. Williams), the hon. Member for Deptford (Sir L. Plummer) and others, that it was a pity not to leave the Ministers discretion to be able to initiate changes in the functions of the Pig Industry Development Authority. Naturally, no Minister would change its functions or responsibilities without consultation with the Authority. After consideration, I feel that the suggestions which were made were good ones and that we ought to leave the Ministers with freedom to initiate a change in functions if they consider it to be in the interests of the industry.

§ Sir L. Plummer
In once again thanking the right hon. Gentleman for his co-operation, I should say that in moving the original Amendment in Standing Committee I did so in the absence of my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Willey), who was attending the meeting of the Council of Europe, at Strasbourg. I was glad, therefore, to put my hon. Friend's case in word's less adequate and significant than he would have used had he been present. The right hon. Gentleman should include in his benison my hon. Friend for his sagacity in having thought of the Amendment.