§ 4 Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many amalgamations of farm holdings there have been in the last year, to the nearest convenient day.
§ Mr. John MackieAlthough we record yearly changes in the number of agricultural holdings of all kinds, and there is invariably a net reduction—averaging some 5,000 per annum in recent years—to ascertain in which cases amalgamation was the reason, or whether the units concerned were farms in the true sense, is more difficult Both this task and the ascertainment of precise dates and periods are laborious undertakings that do not lend themselves to postal inquiries. Nevertheless, it is clear that amalgamations of farms are still continuing, and the extent of the trend may perhaps be of the order of 2,000 a year net.
§ 5. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reduction there has been, in the last year, in the number of farms to let.
§ Mr. John MackieMy Department does not collect annual statistics of the number of farms rented or to let, but the ten-yearly World Agricultural Census shows that in 1960–61 37 per cent. of holdings in England and Wales were wholly rented, compared with 49 per cent in 1950.