HC Deb 19 May 1965 vol 712 cc1445-7
27. Mr. J. E. B. Hill

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the latest trend in the size of the dairy herd; and whether he is satisfied that there is no falling off in the number of calves from the dairy herd suitable for beef production.

11. Mr. Hastings

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the increasing shortage of calves for beef rearing.

Mr. Peart

Between June and December, 1964, the dairy and beef breeding herds in the United Kingdom both increased. Later figures are not available for the United Kingdom but the March census for England and Wales indicates some further increase. The number of calves retained for beef or breeding has risen substantially, and the number of calves slaughtered has continued to fall.

Mr. Hill

Is not that rather a misleading study of statistics? If the Minister consults the statistics for March, he will surely agree that there has been a steady downward trend in the numbers of the dairy herd since 1963, through 1964 to 1965 of about 1 per cent. Is not the welcome increase in the calves rather deceiving, because surely that represents not so much an expansion in breeding as a salvage operation in that the industry is saving for baby beef production calves which formerly died or were slaughtered when they were a few weeks or months old?

Mr. Peart

I am afraid that I cannot accept the hon. Gentleman's conclusions about the March returns. I have carefully looked into this and I am certain that the dairy herd will remain at about its present level for some months. This is what I deduce. For this reason, I think that the hon. Member has come to wrong conclusions.

Mr. George Y. Mackie

Would not the right hon. Gentleman agree that, while he may salvage more calves for the dairy herd, the real source of extra calves and proper beef calves can come from a big effort to raise the production of calves from the hills? This is the direction in which he should be bending his efforts, particularly in Caithness and Sutherland.

Mr. Peart

My hon. Friend knows that I am anxious to see—[Interruption.] I think that the hon. Member is a friend and relation of my policy towards increasing production from the hills. I thank him for his contribution.

Mr. Hill

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that, taking his own statistics, if we add up cows and heifers in milk, cows in calf but not in milk and heifers in calf for the dairy herd specifically, we get totals of 3,210,000 for 1963, 3,173,000 for 1964 and 3,137,000 for 1965? This shows a downward trend.

Mr. Peart

I repeat what I said on a previous occasion. It is true that there has been a decline in the dairy herd replacements—that is, heifers and first calvers. This is partly due to culling. The problem which we now face is that we have, quite rightly, improved standards of management and cows which are held have more lactations.