HC Deb 20 November 1968 vol 773 cc1265-7
2. Mr. Jopling

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will now make a statement on the Economic Development Council report on Agriculture.

11. Mrs. Renée

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement indicating how farmers and growers are to be encouraged to increase productivity in order to achieve the import savings indicated as being possible in the National Economic Development Council Report.

26. Mr. Buchanan-Smith

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will complete his consideration of the National Economic Development Council Report on Agriculture; and if he will make a statement.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. Cledwyn Hughes)

I would refer my hon. Friend and hon. Gentlemen opposite to the statement I made in the House on 12th November.—[Vol. 773, c. 210–13.]

Mr. Jopling

Does not the Minister realise that his woolly statement of last week only increases uncertainty in the farming industry? In what way does he think that the plans which he announced last week will increase the targets for agriculture over those originally announced in the National Plan?

Mr. Hughes

The hon. Gentleman is out of touch with farming opinion—[Interruption.]—otherwise he would realise that the statement I made has been universally welcomed. Had he read my statement he would have realised that, putting it side by side with the N.E.D.C. Report on Agriculture, it went a long way towards the objectives indicated in that Report.

Mrs. Short

Is my right hon. Friend aware that, contrary to what hon. Gentlemen opposite say, my hon. Friends—and, I am sure, the farming community generally—welcome the fact that he was able to go so far as almost to meet the requirements of the N.E.D.C. Report? Appreciating that he cannot say in advance how much help he will be giving to farmers, will he bear in mind that we are anxious about the whole problem of import saving?

Mr. Hughes

I am obliged to my hon. Friend. The objective of the programme is to achieve an import saving of £160 million by 1972–73. As she rightly said, this has been welcomed by the farmers' unions and farmers generally.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

When will the right hon. Gentleman understand that guidelines are no substitute for giving farmers proper incentives if he really means to increase production? Is he aware that he cannot go on for ever fobbing off farmers with generalities like those contained in his statement of last week?

Mr. Hughes

The hon. Gentleman is obviously not in touch with the views of his right hon. Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Godber) who speaks on agricultural matters for the Opposition. In a speech which the right hon. Gentleman made in Sudbury on 1st November, he pressed me to give guidelines. That I have done, and I have gone further than he asked.

Mr. Godber

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for referring to my speech on that occasion. I hope that he will refer to all the points I made in it which had a bearing on his statement and which showed how inadequate it was. May I bring the Minister back to the salient question which I asked last week but which he did not answer: will he please tell me whether his statement means that the production targets of the selective expansion programme have been raised to higher levels or merely extended by another two years? In other words—

Mr. Speaker

Order. Supplementary questions, even from the Front Bench, should be brief.

Mr. Godber

It is necessary for me to press this matter again, Mr. Speaker, because when I asked this important question last week the Minister did not reply. Will the right hon. Gentleman now explain specifically just what are his proposals in this regard, and will he explain the figure of £160 million, which he has so far not explained?

Mr. Hughes

My statement was absolutely clear. It should be read side by side with the objectives in the N.E.D.C. Report on Agriculture. If it is read in that way, then the objectives are perfectly clear.

Mr. Jopling

On a point of order. In view of the totally unsatisfactory nature of the Minister's Answer, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise this matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.