§ 14. Mr. Peter Millsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the percentage of home-produced mutton and lamb available to consumers; what steps he is taking to increase production of British lamb and mutton; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HoyAbout two-fifths of our mutton and lamb is now produced at home, and in framing the balanced expansion programme announced on 12th November last, we took account of comparative trends in demand and in costs and the competing call on resources, especially on land, for this and other commodities. In the light of these factors we concluded that the scope for greater production lies primarily in the hills and uplands.
§ Mr. MillsWill the Minister bear in mind that this decline is a serious trend and must be arrested? With our climate and our grass, and given suitable incentives to farmers, which is most important, we could produce far more lamb and mutton and thereby help our balance of payments problem.
§ Mr. HoyYes, indeed, and we want to see the increase. The hon. Member will not have forgotten already the considerable extent to which we helped in the 1967 review. As I have said before, we expect this improvement to take place mainly in the hills and uplands and we have certainly given encouragement there.