§ Colonel Carverasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the position of livestock farmers who are dependent on the purchase of feeding-stuffs to maintain their cattle, sheep and pigs during the winter months; and whether he will give an assurance that such farmers will either be able to obtain an ample supply of such feeding-stuffs at reasonable prices or that they will be able to obtain more remunerative prices for their livestock?
Mr. HudsonThe position of all classes of livestock farmers was fully considered before the Government's livestock and feeding stuffs policy was settled. The ploughing-up campaign was designed in part to lessen the dependence of livestock producers on purchased feeding-stuffs, and this dependence should be further reduced by more economical methods of feeding and the fuller use of waste materials and the produce of the farm generally. I have indicated that supplies of concentrates available for pig production may be no more than one-third of peace-time quantities, and farmers were warned last June to reduce their pig production accordingly. I hope that imports of feeding-stuffs together with the increased home production and the reserves accumulated during the summer, will be sufficient to enable farmers to maintain milk production and to fatten and carry through the winter normal716W numbers of beef cattle and sheep. The existing Schedule of prices for livestock and livestock products is designed to give farmers an adequate return at prevailing costs of production. With a view to assisting farmers to plan ahead, with greater security, and in the absence of any material and substantial change in the relevant conditions, prices of the principal feeding-stuffs are being stabilised at their existing levels until 30th September, 1941.