§ 46. Mr. Hollandasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what State-aided research is being conducted into the use of soft wheats in bakery.
§ Mr. StrangThe breeding of new varieties of wheat for improved milling and baking characteristics is carried out at the Plant Breeding Institute, which is grant aided by the Agricultural Research Council. The resources devoted to this have recently been increased and improved varieties, currently in trials, show good combinations of yield and satisfactory milling and baking properties. Selection for all these characteristics is undertaken in the breeding programme. The Ministry also commissions work at the Flour Milling and Baking Research Association on the development of suitable tests for use by the plant breeders to determine milling quality and bread and biscuit characteristics. Work at the FMBRA has particular relevance to the use of increased proportions of soft wheats in bread flour grists made possible by the Chorleywood Bread Process. As a result, imported hard wheats, which formerly accounted for 80 per cent. of a given grist, have been reduced to less than 50 per cent. in the Chorleywood Process, the difference being made up with soft wheats.