§ Mr. Welshasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now publish comparative figures showing the differences between financial returns for farmers on crops and livestock since 1974; and if he is satisfied with these trends.
§ Mr. BishopTable 24 of the White Paper on the Annual Review of Agriculture 1977—Cmnd. 6703—gives figures up to 1975–76. Later figures are not yet available, but paragraph 34 comments on the position in 1976–77. Further information is included in Table 3 of Farm Incomes in England and Wales, No. 29 published in February 1977. The White Paper forecasts a fall overall in aggregate net income in real terms in 1976–77 but the effects of the drought varied considerably from sector to sector. Given662W reasonable weather, I expect to see a recovery in output and net income in 1977–78.