HC Deb 09 February 1960 vol 617 cc34-6W
Mr. Ridsdale

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give further details concerning the estimates of the agricultural subsidies for the United Kingdom to amplify the information contained in the Supplementary Estimates dated 2nd February, 1960, with comparable figures for the preceding year.

Mr. John Hare

Following are particulars of the latest estimates of the cost of agricultural support in the financial

— 1959–60 1958–59
£ million
I. FARMING GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES
(a) General Fertilisers Subsidy … … … … … … 29.0 25.8
(b) Lime Subsidy … … … … … … … … 11.0 9.2
(c) Grants for Ploughing up Grassland … … … … … 9.3 9.2
(d) Field Drainage and Water Supply Grants … … … … 3.1 2.7
(e) Grants for Improvement of Livestock Rearing Land … … 1.5 1.5
(f) Marginal Production Assistance Grants … … … … 1.7 2.2
(g) Bonus Payments under the Tuberculosis (Attested Herds) Scheme … 8.9 8.5
(h) Livestock: Improvement of Breeding … … … … — 0.1
(i) Calf Subsidy … … … … … … … … 16.4 14.3
(j) Hill Sheep and Hill Cattle … … … … … … 4.0 3.1
(k) Silo Subsidies … … … … … … … … 1.4 1.0
(l) Grants for Farm Improvements … … … … … 6.3 3.3
(m) Grants to Rabbit Clearance Societies … … … … … 0.1 —
(n) Grants to Small Farmers … … … … … … 1.9 —
Total I … … … 94.6 80.9
— 1959–60 1958–59
II. IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRICE GUARANTEES £ million
(a) Cereals
Wheat and Rye … … … … … … 20.4 19.3
Barley … … … … … … … 25.1 23.5
Oats and mixed corn … … … … … 12.7 9.8
58.2 52.6
(b) Home Produced Eggs … … … … … 36.5 33.7
(c) Fatstock
Cattle … … … … … … … 3.4 12.5
Sheep … … … … … … … 25.9 11.7
Pigs … … … … … … … 21.3 20.9
50.6 45.1
(d) Milk (excluding school and welfare milk) … … … 8.5 10.1
(e) Wool … … … … … … … … 3.0 6.3
(f) Potatoes … … … … … … … 1.0 6.9
Total II … … … 157.8 154.7
Total (I and II) … … 252.4 235.6
Administrative Overheads applicable to I and II above … 5.5 5.0
Total Subsidy I and II … 257.9 240.6
III. OTHER SERVICES
Payment to the Exchequer of Northern Ireland … … 1.2 0.8
Total Cost of Agricultural Support … 259.1 241.4
Details of the original estimates of the cost of agricultural support were included in Table VIII of the Memorandum by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on the Civil Estimates, 1959–60 (H.C. 79-Memo.).

year 1959–60 for which provisions have been made in the Civil Estimates, Class VIII, Votes 2 and 11, with the latest comparable figures for the financial year 1958–59.