§ 9. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total quantity of potatoes available for consumption including those in the ground at the latest available date; how this compared with the amount available at a corresponding date a year ago; what proportion of the available potatoes were pig potatoes normally used for animal feeding but currently being sold for human consumption; and if lie will make a statement.
§ Mr. BishopI understand that the results of a stock census recently undertaken by the Potatoe Marketing Board indicate that, after making an allowance for seed required for planting next year, about 1.79 million tonnes remained on farms in Great Britain at the end of November 1976, including about 150,000 tonnes still in the ground, compared with about 1.43 million at the same time in 1975 when harvesting had been completed. But the difference will be reduced by higher wastage this season due to weather conditions in the growing and harvesting periods. There are no particular varieties of potatoes grown for animal feed in Great Britain, but sales for this purpose provide an outlet for potatoes which are unsuitable for human consumption.