§ 31. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why the farming net income for the United Kingdom came down from £305 millions for the year 1949–50 to £268½ millions in 1950–51.
§ Mr. John HareOf the difference of £36½ million, £26½ million is attributable to weather conditions. The remaining decline of £10 million was the outcome of a number of conflicting factors on which I am afraid that it is not possible to develop a detailed explanation so long after the event, but amongst them was a rise in the cost of feedingstuffs, fertilisers and agricultural machinery.
§ 32. Mr. Osborneasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give full details of the item described as "Other" in Table C, page 12, Command Paper No. 390, representing farm expenses which have risen from £169 millions to £178½ millions, and farm sales which have risen from £42 millions to £44½ millions.
§ Mr. John HareTwo of the largest items of "other expenses" are seeds (£28 million in 1956–57 and £26 million in 1957–58) and imported livestock (£57 million in 1956–57 and £66½ million in 1957–58). The only individually large item in "other sales" is clip wool (£15 million in 1956–57 and £161 million in 1957–58). There are, in addition, 70 to 80 relatively small items included under these heads, such as insurance premiums and the cost of coal and coke on the expenses side, and on the receipts side, revenue from the sales of such miscellaneous commodities as seeds, timber, hides and store pigs.