§ Mr. Home Robertsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an estimate of the tonnage of feeding cereals which will be harvested in 1983; and how this compares with the projected needs of the livestock sector.
§ Mr. MacGregorIt is too soon to estimate the size of this year's cereal harvest. However, it seems probable that total production will be sufficient to meet the demands of the livestock sector and other users.
§ Mr. Home RobertsonIs it not likely that the harvest will vastly exceed demand, as we have seen over the past year? Is not the most sensible thing to do with feeding grain to feed it? Is the hon. Gentleman not ashamed of the 695 fact that he has given figures this afternoon to the effect that 750,000 tonnes of feeding barley have been exported, which could well have been used by the British livestock sector.
As the intervention system is evidently doing so much harm to British livestock producers, can the Minister give any undertaking that during the current year there will be a more sensible deal, to the benefit of cereal producers, livestock farmers and the housewife?
§ Mr. MacGregorThe hon. Gentleman will know that last year there was a record harvest and there were sizeable exports. It is still too soon to tell what will happen this year, but, because of the bad weather earlier in the season, this year's crop is unlikely to be larger than last year and may well be smaller. We must await the outcome. Many complex issues arise from the hon. Gentleman's second point. He will know of the current discussions about the cereals incorporation scheme, which, if it comes about, could to some extent help livestock producers. To apply that to all cereal production would be enormously expensive and difficult to entertain.