HL Deb 19 July 1961 vol 233 cc646-7
LORD FRASER OF LONSDALE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government if they will make a statement as to the prospects for the harvests this year.]

THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD (EARL WALDEGRAVE)

My Lords, forward estimates of yields per acre will be available early in August We have found from previous experience that estimates made any earlier in the year do not always prove reliable.

The figures of cereal acreages in England and Wales obtained in December showed that the winter wheat was about 900,000 acres down. Most of this deficiency is likely to be made up by the spring sowings. For barley, the farmers' forecast made in March showed an increase of - million acres. Oats were down by 160,000 acres.

In general, our reports for England and Wales indicate that, at the beginning of this month, autumn and winter sown cereals looked promising, but that some spring-sown crops were making poor growth. In some of the main cereal growing areas the harvest will be early.

Good progress has been made with the hay harvest. The quality generally is good and yields should be a little higher than last year. It is too early to report on maincrop potatoes and root crops. The forecast acreage of maincrop potatoes is down by 80,000 acres, but the yield per acre of early potatoes is expected to be slightly below average.

LORD FRASER OF LONSDALE

My Lords, while thanking my noble friend, may I ask him whether, so far as it can be forecast at the present time, this looks as if it will be an average year, or worse, or better?

EARL WALDEGRAVE

My Lords, that is a rather difficult question to answer. As I said in the main part of my Answer, though we have the figures of acreages, we do not like, as early as July, to make official estimates of what the outturn will be; but from the acreages I have given, I think that noble Lords will be able to draw their own deductions of what the cereal harvest is likely to be.