HC Deb 22 May 1947 vol 437 cc299-300W
Sir H. Morris-Jones

asked the Minister of Agriculture the total subscribed to date to the Agricultural Disaster Fund; and what is to be the basis of its distribution.

Mr. T. Williams

Approximately 300,000, including Exchequer contributions, has so far been subscribed to the Agricultural Disaster Fund. In addition to public subscriptions, farmers are being invited to contribute. to the fund by means of voluntary deductions from payments due to them for the sale of their produce from central organisations. Payments from the fund will be restricted to farmers who have suffered serious direct loss during the present season

  1. (a) of crops or live or dead stock, caused by the exceptional major floods: or
  2. (b) of livestock, other than mountain ponies, caused by the exceptionally heavy frosts and snowfalls

It is intended that every farmer shall receive from the Fund roughly the same proportion of the amount of his loss This proportion will be the same as that between the total amount in the Fund and the total amount of the accepted applications.