§ 18. Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many inquiries have been received by divisional offices from dairy farmers regarding the grant for changing from dairy to beef production; and how many applications have been received by divisional offices regarding this grant to date.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartSome 5,000 inquirers asked for and were sent copies of the explanatory leaflet about this scheme by the end of its first week of operation, and 753 of these have completed and returned application forms.
§ Mr. HowellIs my hon. Friend aware that we have only six weeks' supply of butter in store and that stocks are falling? A similar position prevails in France, and the butter mountain is a myth. Many people connected with the dairy industry believe that these measures may lead very soon to a shortage of dairy produce.
§ Mr. StodartI should point out that 753 applications from over 87,000 registered milk producers are only about 0.9 per cent. of the total. I have taken the opportunity to advise dairy farmers individually that they should consider very carefully the long-term results before going out of milk, in which considerable capital is locked up, and the taxation issues as well.
§ Mr. StrangIs this scheme not an illustration of monumental absurdity, even by the standards of the EEC bureaucracy? The scheme is an attempt to get people out of dairy farming while another scheme is actually paying them to stay in it.
§ Mr. StodartIf I interpret the hon. Gentleman correctly, he is referring to the hill directive, which, of course, deals solely with producing cheese in the mountain areas.