§ 3.9 p.m.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy 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 whether they will propose to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations that concerted action should be taken, with financial contributions, technical aid and political co-operation from Governments, to meet the danger of massive destruction of crops in the Middle East and Africa from the extensive plague of locusts already on the move and for aid to the peoples who may suffer front this destruction.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (LORD SHEPHERD)My Lords, the Food and Agriculture Organisation has already acted. The 51st Session of the F.A.O. Council last October requested the Director General to appeal to all potential donors, including Governments, commercial firms and the United Nations Development Programme, for immediate assistance; agreed that locust control work should receive adequate priority in the allocation of the available resources of the F.A.O.; and adopted a resolution for consideration at the next Conference extending the emergency fund previously established for the control of livestock disease to cover also the desert locust. As regards aid to the people involved, the F.A.O. cannot act as a relief agency, but part of the resources of the U.N./F.A.O. World Food Programme are available for the provision of food in relief of emergencies.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that characteristically full reply, may I ask him whether there is later information that the grant by the F.A.O. for this purpose has been increased from £80,000? Is not that sum totally inadequate? Is he aware that experts now 1199 indicate that the locust plague may spread from India across the Middle East, across North Africa, down the East to Tanzania and down the West to Nigeria; and that it may cause more deaths by starvation than would a considerable war?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, clearly the threat of locusts is something to which we must pay very great attention, but the fears of the noble Lord are perhaps, and I hope will prove to be, premature. In fact, we have had a period between 1963 and 1967 when the locust pest has been well contained. There is now a threat, but there is yet no real, serious threat. It is basically in anticipation of that threat that certain steps have been taken to deal with it.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that I very much hope that his attitude is more correct than mine? Is it not the case that the field organisation now is utterly inadequate; that the Desert Locust Control Organisation in Africa is limited to a few army tents, with magnificent, heroic service by Jim Tunstell and others, but utterly inadequate for this danger which at least experts say may be more disastrous than it has been for twenty years?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, the policy of the F.A.O. in this matter is that it is very much a question for the countries concerned, although of course it participates in regional groupings and also provides assistance. We ourselves offered aid to the value of some £175,000—this was announced last October—to help the Desert Locust Control Organisation in East Africa, which is located in Ethiopia. We have also increased our own contributions to our own organisation in the field of research in this country, which is one of the most valuable contributions in this field.
LORD INGLEWOODMy Lords, could the noble Lord either confirm or deny the rather disturbing story that we no longer have an official of the Ministry of Agriculture permanently in Rome combining the duties of Agricultural Attaché and Permanent Representative at F.A.O., such as was appointed a few years ago and I thought was deemed to be a success?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, I am quite sure that that supplementary question has something to do with the original Question, but those who helped me prepare my supplementary answers did not anticipate it.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, is it not a fact that one of the main areas for locust breeding was, and probably still is, in Southern Arabia? Was it not also the fact that in a previous time the Colonial Office used to be responsible for the control of locust breeding in that area? Furthermore, is it not a fact that the time to kill locusts is when they are hoppers; that is, when they are very young? Since we have gone from Southern Arabia, who has taken over the responsibility for that service which used to be performed by the Colonial Office?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, the noble Lord has really put his thumb on the heart of the problem. Undoubtedly, the war in the Yemen has reacted on the improvements that took place between 1963 and 1967. The responsibility in this field, as I have said, lies with the countries concerned, but the F.A.O. is seeking through the regional committees to co-ordinate steps to be taken in dealing with this pest.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, does not the question which has been put from the other side of the House illustrate that this matter cannot be left either to individual nations or even to regions? Is it not now an international problem? Moreover, is it not a tragedy that men should be killing each other in the Yemen and Southern Arabia instead of uniting against this threat which may mean that more people will be killed by starvation than in their silly war?
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, when I said it was the responsibility of individual countries I hope I did not lead my noble friend to believe that they are left to get on with it on their own. In fact, the F.A.O. itself makes sizeable contributions to the various regional groupings; and we ourselves help through our own research. This matter is clearly one of international importance and the F.A.O. has it in mind. The 51st Session of the Council took special note of the position and made certain recommendations.