HC Deb 09 November 1959 vol 613 cc1-3
5. Mr. Lipton

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on butter supplies.

13. Mr. Chetwynd

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to assure supplies, in view of the shortage of home-produced butter.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. John Hare)

Both home-produced and imported supplies of butter have been limited by widespread drought in Western Europe. This has caused a diversion of some supplies to other European countries. Importers already have access to all available supplies, and some butter is now coming from North America. I hope that this, with the usual seasonal increase in arrivals from New Zealand and Australia, will shortly make the supply position somewhat easier.

Mr. Lipton

In these circumstances, does the Minister consider that the present exorbitant price of butter is justified? According to what he says, the shortfall is not very great and is soon to be remedied. Will the right hon. Gentleman therefore recommend housewives to abstain from buying butter until prices come down?

Mr. Hare

We must really get away from the idea that Ministers have to advise housewives. Quite rightly, I think, we on both sides of the House recognise that it is for the housewife to decide what she wants to buy and not for Parliament to tell her.

Mr. Chetwynd

In view of the great fluctuations in the price of butter and the fact that we are not taking all the butter that we could from the Commonwealth, has the right hon. Gentleman any plans for getting greater price stability by drawing up long-term contracts for the supply of butter?

Mr. Hare

We have had some rather disagreeable experience of bulk buying which, I am sure, we should certainly not wish to repeat. I think the hon. Gentleman is wrong when he suggests that we are not getting all available supplies of butter from the Commonwealth. In fact, we are taking all that it wishes to send us.

Mr. Willey

Does the right hon. Gentleman remember that he intervened when butter prices fell in order to provide more stable prices? Why should he be so loth to intervene now when butter prices have risen?

Mr. Hare

I well remember only fifteen months ago listening to the hon. Gentleman, supported, I think, by a number of his hon. Friends and the T.U.C., urging me to restrict all supplies of butter coming to this country except from the Commonwealth. That would not have got us into a very good position. As I have said, I hope the position will ease itself. Any suggestion of price control would mean that less butter would be available, and I could not entertain it.