§ Mr. P. Browneasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the total subsidy paid on hen eggs in February, 1962, and how this figure compares with February, 1961; and if he will give the percentage of imported to home-produced eggs for the same two months.
§ Mr. SoamesThe subsidy payable on hen eggs in the United Kingdom during February, 1962, was £1,602,000, compared with £1,353,000 in February, 1961. There is no reliable estimate of total production in these two months, but imports in February, 1962, were equivalent to just over 3 per cent. of supplies passing through packing stations, compared with nearly 8 per cent. in February, 1961; and packing stations handle about two-thirds of all eggs produced in the United Kingdom.