HC Deb 22 June 1978 vol 952 cc702-3
17. Mr. Boscawen

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the profit margins being achieved by the United Kingdom bacon curing industry.

John Silkin

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today to the hon. Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks).

Mr. Boscawen

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that his lack of sympathy and his insufferable complacency with regard to the pigmeat industry gives that industry no confidence that he is pressing its case as hard as he should in Brussels?

Mr. Silkin

I am a little astonished by that remark. When I introduced the pig subsidy last year, when I had to fight the various sections that I did have to fight inside the Community because of that, and when I had to try to get the pig-meat MCAs recalculated, "complacent" was not exactly the word being used by the Opposition or by people in Europe. If the hon. Gentleman means that we have to keep fighting for a recalculation of pig-meat MCAs, I agree. He is perfectly correct, and we shall do so.

Mr. Peyton

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that the food processing industry finds itself between the upper millstone of the MCAs and the nether millstone of the Price Commission, which often has no knowledge of or sympathy with the problems of the industry? Is he aware that the likely consequence of this process will be the grinding out of an efficient British industry and its replacement by foreign supplies?

Mr. Silkin

The lower millstone in this instance—to preserve the analogy—is the British producer, rightly so. He deserves a fair return for his products. The upper millstone, as the right hon. Gentleman correctly says, is the wrongly-calculated system of MCAs. This, at least, is one small matter on which he and I have had some agreement this afternoon.

Mr. Wm. Ross

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that if we were allowed to import grain at world prices from our traditional suppliers many of the problems of the pig producer would disappear?

Mr. Silkin

I have to deal with matters as they are. I try to do the best I can in those circumstances and I shall continue to try to do so.