§ Sir R. Glynasked the Minister of Agriculture what has been the diminution of British-bred breeding sows during the last 12 months; and what has been the increase in the number of pigs sold for pork in the same period?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonCompared with 1936, the number of home-bred breeding sows (including gilts in pig) on agricultural holdings in Great Britain on 4th June, 1937, showed a decrease of 26,000, or 5.1 per cent.
The latest estimate of the number of pigs slaughtered in Great Britain relates to the year ended 31st May, 1937. In that year it is estimated that 5,655,000 home-bred pigs were slaughtered and that about 2,157,000 of these pigs were converted into bacon by curers registered under the Bacon Marketing Scheme. The comparable figures for the 12 months ended 31st May, 1936, were 5,744,000 pigs slaughtered, of which about 2,263,000 were converted into bacon. If an allowance of 720,000 pigs per annum is made for bacon pigs handled by small (or unregistered) curers, the number of pigs available for pork in the two years might be put at 2,761,000 in 1935–36 and 2,778,000 in 1936–37, an increase of 17,000 pigs or 0.6 per cent. The estimated number of pigs slaughtered does not include those produced on holdings of one acre or less in extent and the bacon pig figures are exclusive of pigs of their own production converted into bacon by producer-curers.
§ Sir R. Glynasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is now in a position to state what progress has been made in the reorganisation and rationalisation of the bacon curers; whether he has now obtained figures to show what reduction has taken place in the reception of bacon pigs at those bacon factories which were operating regularly during the period of the scheme; and, if so, will he give the figures of weekly curing of British-bred pigs on the 1st of October and the 1st of April in 1934, 1935, 1936, and 1937?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonConsultations with the Pigs and Bacon Marketing Boards as to the future organisation of the bacon industry are proceeding satisfactorily but I am not yet able to make a statement on the matter.
586WAs regards the last part of the question, the figures are as follows:
Quantity of Bacon put into cure for the first time by registered curers from Pigs produced in Great Britain, during the first week in April and in October, 1934 to 1937.
— 1934. 1935 1936. 1937 Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. April … 15,613 35,935 51,102 31,674 October … 42,959 53,697 53,459 47,461