§ 68. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Food why only 5 per cent. to 10 per cent. of home produced meat is sold in the shops as grade B, while between 30 per cent. and 40 per cent. of the cattle sent by farmers to grading centres, are graded as B; and who gets the profit.
§ Mr. WebbI fear the hon. Member has fallen into the error of confusing two systems of grading which, in fact, are quite separate. The grading of live cattle has no relation to the grading of carcase meat. Grading for the former is concerned solely with the estimating of what the trade calls "killing-out percentages."
250WBut for the latter—that is carcase meat—grading is solely concerned with the quality of the meat. If this answer sounds very technical, perhaps the hon. Member would see me, when, I am sure, I think I could show him the error into which he has fallen. As to profit—he must recognise that there is no element of profit by my Ministry, since we are paying a very heavy subsidy on all home-killed meat.