HC Deb 06 May 1963 vol 677 cc17-9
26. Mr. Prior

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent soft wheat can be reasonably substituted for maize in the feedingstuff rations of poultry, pigs, dairy cows and fat cattle.

Mr. Soames

One cannot be specific on this point but soft wheat can be used to some extent instead of maize in the feedingstuff rations of most livestock, especially poultry, and compound manufacturers generally are alive to the advantages of including home-grown wheat in their rations when prices are favourable. It is estimated provisionally that just under 2 million tons of homegrown wheat from the 1962 crop will be used for animal feeding compared with just over I million tons from the 1961 crop.

Mr. Prior

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Will he try to persuade hit advisory officers and experimental farms to carry out much more research into the use that soft wheat can be put to in place of other feedingstuffs, particularly as it can be grown well and cheaply at -tome, whereas maize has to be imported?

Mr. Soames

There is a good deal of 'interchangeability among different cereals. There are advantages, sometimes, of price, delivery times and of quality in using specific proportions. Of course, during the time my hon. Friend was referring to the imports of barley were very much down. My hon. Friend will be aware of a considerable increase in the production of home-grown barley.

27. Mr. Prior

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what percentage maize imports increased in 1962 over 1961; and what effect these increases hid on the price of homegrown cereals.

Mr. Soames

Maize imports in the calendar year 1962 increased by about 45 per cent. compared with 1961 from 3.2 million tons to 4.6 million tons. About 70 per cent. of maize imports in 1962 came in before our home crop was marketed in volume and heavier maize imports over the year as a whole were offset by a big fall in our imports of barley. In addition, total requirements of concentrated feedingstuffs increased substantially over the period. Prices of home-grown cereals are influenced by a variety of factors and it is impossible to isolate the effect of the rise in the volume of maize imports.

Mr. Prior

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the use of feedingstuffs is to some extent bound up with their price? If the home market is to be flooded as a result of large production at home or of excessive imports, then prices will fall and more feedingstuffs will be used. Would it not be right to encourage home production of feedingstuffs and to put no restrictions upon them until some effort is made to curb excessive imports?

Mr. Soames

The stability of the market generally, and all that flows from it for imports and for home production, is one of the major factors of the Government's deliberations at the moment. But I cannot as yet make an announcement.

Sir H. Harrison

Is my right hon. Friend aware that he is quite right in saying that barley can be used as a substitute for maize? Will he impress on all concerned the importance of using home-produced barley as against foreign maize?

Mr. Soames

The rate at which the crop both of barley and wheat is being taken up is satisfactory. It is difficult to be specific on these things. One can say that barley can be substituted for maize, but there is considerable latitude for different proportions.