Channel Islands Milk (Hansard, 10 February 1965)

§ 23. Mr. Marten
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will announce his decision about the price of Channel Islands milk.

§ Mr. Hoy
I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bodmin (Mr. Bessell) and others on 3rd February last.

§ Mr. Marten
Can the hon. Gentleman say why his right hon. Friend turned down the recommendations of the Thorold Committee? Unless the House is told the real reasons, it will have to draw the conclusion that this was done purely for party doctrinaire reasons.

§ Mr. Hoy
The hon. Gentleman can draw what conclusions he likes, but if he draws that one he will be quite wrong. My right hon. Friend had to weigh up the circumstances. He had been asked to make a considerable increase in the price of this particular milk. Having looked at the figures, he decided to make an increase which he thought would be fair to the producer and, at the same time, fair to the consumer, who is not unimportant.

§ Mr. Soames
Would the hon. Gentleman say what were the factors which led his right hon. Friend to decide against freeing the price of quality milk?

§ Mr. Hoy
I think that I have answered that. Channel Islands milk represents about 7 or 8 per cent. of the total sales of liquid milk. It is not unimportant.

Mr. J. E. B. Hill
Is not the hon. Gentleman aware that any premium earned by Channel Islands milk comes from the market demand for it? Is it fair to the consumer to restrict the price and, hence, the production of a luxury article for which there is an increasing demand?

§ Mr. Hoy
It is not a question of seeking to restrict it, because it does even better—[Interruption.] I have already told the right hon. Gentleman Channel Islands milk is not an unimportant part of the liquid milk available to consumers in this country. I am bound to point out once more that it is already enjoying l½d. a pint more than ordinary milk. Because of the quantity available, and by making an increase in price which was not insubstantial, we thought that we were being fair to the consumer and to the producer.