AGRICULTURE (EMERGENCY PAYMENTS) BILL. (Hansard, 7 July 1947)

§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES (THE EARL OF HUNTINGDON)

My Lords, this small but necessary Bill enables His Majesty's Government to assist the farming industry which has suffered so badly from the weather of last winter. The main object of the Bill is to promote food production. I do not want to describe in detail the tale of the disaster which happened last winter—of floods and frost and snow—because your Lordships already know the story very well. Nor do I wish to recapitulate the story of how our farmers fought gallantly against adverse conditions, doing heroic work on the land, and of how their helpers played a most valuable part, so that much of the lost ground has been recovered. There are various schemes for helping the industry—the Lord Mayor's National Flood Distress Fund, the Agricultural Disaster Fund, administered jointly by the Government and the National Farmers' Union, and various price schemes. These are to help the industry to get back into full production. This Bill is aimed to promote the increased food production which is so vitally necessary.

Clause 1 of the Bill enables my right honourable friend the Minister of Agricul- 106 ture to make acreage payments for crops on land which was still flooded at some time after March 21, because we realize that in many cases, owing to the extreme amount of flooding, only two-thirds to three-quarters of normal yields will actually be harvested. Therefore the Minister proposes to make acreage payments varying from £3 to £15 an acre in order to help those farmers who had enough enterprise to plant their crops and go ahead to produce the maximum amount of food in spite of the adverse conditions. The scheme will be administered by the county agricultural executive committees. We have taken March 21 as the date-line for land being still under water but other land will also be eligible if it is certified as such by the committee owing to damage by flooding.

Clause 2 enables the Minister to allow hill sheep farmers to receive their hill sheep subsidies on the 1946 figures. The reason for this is that in many cases these unfortunate farmers in the hill farming districts have lost up to 80 or 90 per cent. of their flocks. In order that they should benefit from the subsidy to the fullest extent we propose to allow them to claim the subsidy on the numbers of eligible sheep which they had in December, 1946. We hope that this will contribute very largely to rehabilitating their flocks; but we do not think this is enough. The urgent need of many of these farmers will be for ready money to buy new stock, and therefore Clause 3 enables the Minister to make advances this year on the 1948 subsidy payment up to 10s. per eligible ewe. This figure will apply if losses exceeded 60 per cent. and will give a total of 18s. 9d. for each eligible ewe which was in his flock in December, 1946, as against the normal subsidy this year of 8s. 9d.

Where losses are less than 60 per cent., or where the flock is kept under conditions which attract a lower rate of subsidy, the amount of the advance will be reduced accordingly. Similar arrangements are being made for advances in 1948 against 1949 payments. These will be on a somewhat lower scale but they will allow farmers who have been badly hit to go on drawing advances in order to obtain ready money. We are anxious to provide these payments as soon as possible, and therefore the Bill provides that 107 any payments or advances made before the schemes proper come into effect shall be deemed to have been made under the authority of the schemes. Once more I would like to emphasize that this is not a general measure of relief. It is a Bill to promote food production and to help those farmers who have suffered exceptional hardship and loss. In view of the tremendous efforts made by the farming industry I hope your Lordships will give this Bill a speedy Second Reading. I beg to move.