§ Mr. S. O. Davies65, 66 and 67. asked the Minister of Agriculture (1) what was the number of livestock on English and Welsh farms on the last available date, giving separate figures for each country, with respect to cattle, sheep, pigs and horses;
(2) what were the acreages in 1947 in England and Wales, giving separate figures for each country, of land under arable cultivation, under permanent pasture and under rough grazings, respectively; and what are the anticipated acreages for 1948;
(3) what were the numbers of poultry in England and Wales in 1947, giving separate figures for each of the countries, with respect to fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys.
43W
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI give below tables showing the latest 1947 figures returned by occupiers of agricultural holdings exceeding 1 acre. While I anticipate an increase in the area under arable crops this year, I cannot yet give an estimate of the acreages under crops and grass respectively.
Following are the figures:
Livestock on 4th December, 1947. England. Wales. (000). (000). Cattle … … 6,100 871 Sheep … … 5,893 2,314 Pigs … … 1,291 110 Horses* … … 495 89 * September, 1947. No figures collected in December.
Acreage* on 4th June, 1947. England. Wales. (000). (000). Arable land including fallow. 12,892 1,100 Permanent Grass for grazing or mowing. 8,807 1,440 Rough Grazings (in sole occupation). 2,655 1,478 * Not including 77,000 acres in England and 10,000 acres in Wales returned as temporarily out of use through flooding.
Poultry on 4th September,* 1947. England. Wales. (000). (000). Fowls … … 31,054 3,528 Ducks … … 1,909 231 Geese … … 665 141 Turkeys … … 515 70 * Not collected separately at 4th December.