HC Deb 31 March 1965 vol 709 cc1632-3
8. Mr. Gower

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many Welsh dairy farmers have gone out of business during each of the last five years.

Mr. Peart

The number of registered milk producers in Wales leaving dairying over the last five years has been as follows: 1960, 464; 1961, 555; 1962, 742; 1963, 795; 1964, 903.

31. Mr. Wingfield Digby

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his latest information about the extent to which farmers are closing their dairies.

Mr. Peart

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 3rd February.

Mr. Digby

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the first two months of this year the number of producers was falling more rapidly than ever, and that since the disastrous milk award there is evidence that plans already approved for modernisation of dairies are being cancelled? Is it not clear that there is a danger now that some of the big producers as well as the small producers may go out of production and that this will very much reduce the supply of liquid milk?

Mr. Peart

I gave the hon. Gentleman information, and I stand by it. This process had gone on for a very long period. We are giving an award to the producers which is a £11 million-plus award. [HON. MEMBERS: "It is not"] It is no good saying that it is not; it is. The £11 million is made up of £9 million in guarantee prices and £2 million in the increase in the standard quantities. It amounts to £11 million-plus. We argue that the award, linked with the last one, compares very favourably with previous awards. There is no need for the pessimism of hon. Members opposite.

Mr. David Griffiths

Has my right hon. Friend taken notice of the mass protests from the poor, impoverished farmers and compared this behaviour with that of the bare-footed Jarrow miners many years ago?

Sir W. Bromley-Davenport

The right hon. Gentleman keeps on talking about increased awards to the farmers. Why does he not, in all fairness, say something about their increased costs?

Mr. Peart

I accept that, and I bear this in mind. But I hope that the hon. and gallant Gentleman will appreciate the awards en bloc over the years. I have repeated the figures. I do not think that the hon. and gallant Gentleman has yet appreciated them, and perhaps I may read them out again: 1955, plus 0.75d.; 1956, plus ½d.; 1957, plus, ¼d.; 1958, minus ld.—there were no protests from the hon. and gallant Gentleman opposite then; 1959, no change; 1960, minus ¼d.—there was no opposition from the hon. and gallant Gentleman then; 1961, plus 0.8d.; 1962, minus 0.4d.; 1963, plus ½d. and 1964, plus 2½d.

Sir M. Redmayne

Does not the right hon. Gentleman understand that to reel off those figures without relating them to costs and production is useless?

Mr. Peart

Figures are useless only when hon. Members are not prepared to understand them.

Mr. Snow

Is my right hon. Friend aware that most serious farmers will not share the extravagant claims being put forward by the Opposition—and by "serious farmers" I do not include the stockbroker, lunatic fringe, controlled loss element?

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