§ 1. Mr. P. Browneasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further proposals he has in order to encourage co-operation between competent farmers in order to promote greater efficiency.
§ The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Christopher Soames)The responsibility for promoting cooperatives falls primarily on the Agricultural Central Co-operative Association and the Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society, which are grant-aided. The Government subsidise, for example, certain expenditures by horticultural marketing co-operatives and farmers' machinery syndicates. The agricultural co-operative movement continues to expand and I have no further proposals in mind at the moment.
§ Mr. BrowneI congratulate the Minister on the steps he has taken this year to encourage co-operation. Would not he agree that the trend of incomes 976 on the smaller acreage farms is a matter for concern? Would he consider further practical action which he must take to foster co-operation, thereby encouraging efficiency, and so reverse this trend?
§ Mr. SoamesI am sure there is a great future for increased co-operation and that there is a lot more yet to come. The fact is that over the last ten years the turnover of agricultural co-operative societies has increased from what was about £60 million a year to over £200 million a year, which is a more than threefold increase in ten years. That is a satisfactory improvement, but I repeat that there is certainly scope for more co-operation, particularly among small farmers.
§ Mr. PeartWill the Minister confirm or deny his hon. Friend's statement regarding declining incomes on small farms? That is the crux of the question.
§ Mr. SoamesIn 1959 there were declining incomes, particularly in the West Country which, I think, is what was being referred to by my hon. Friend. That was due to weather conditions and other adverse factors. But the net agriculture income did rise, as the hon. Gentleman knows, and there has been a £14 million-plus award this year.