§ 30. Mr. Donnellyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will make a statement regarding the Government's future policy on the importation of early potatoes.
§ Mr. HoyOur policy continues to be that new potatoes may be imported at any time of the year except in September and October, subject to compliance with 369 the plant health regulations and to payment of duty. The home grower is protected from imports from non-Commonwealth sources by the tariff which is at a level of £9 6s. 8d. a ton from 16th May to 30th June when our own first early crop is on the market.
§ Mr. DonnellyIs my hon. Friend aware, nevertheless, that after last summer's fiasco the situation as regards early potato growers in Wales appears to be that people at home have been restricted by artificial restrictions on the acreage of crops while at the same time the gentlemen in, say, Cyprus will be free to expand yet further at our expense?
§ Mr. HoyOn the contrary, according to the Potato Marketing Board, the acreage of early varieties was 15,000 acres greater than in 1967. Anyone who knows anything about the industry will remember that at that time there was an overlapping in crops from Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Kent, which were late, with those of the Eastern Counties, and that had a great deal of effect on the market at that time.
§ Mr. BrewisIs the Minister aware of the intense feeling on the subject in this country? What could be crasser than buying potatoes from Nasser? Will it be long before we are buying earlies from the Viet Cong?
§ Mr. HoyIt is always difficult to draw the line because one has to think of the consumer in this respect, and one has also to remember, and the hon. Member ought to remember, the repercussions it might have on our exports of seed potatoes. One cannot very well claim a right to export seed and then tell people they cannot sell the crops when they have grown them.