§ Mr. BLINDELLasked the Minister of Agriculture the quantity of eggs produced in England and Wales during each of the last three years; and the average wholesale and retail price per dozen, together with the average price obtained by the producers?
§ Dr. ADDISONThe estimated total production of eggs on agricultural holdings of over one acre in extent in England and Wales during the years 1927, 1928 and 1929 has been as follows:
Year. Hen Eggs. Duck Eggs. Total. Millions. Millions. Millions. 1927 … 1,679 41˙2 1,720˙2 1928 … 1,794 42˙5 1,836˙5 1929 … 1,864 36˙8 1,900˙8 Annual estimates of the production of eggs on holdings of one acre or less, in private gardens, backyards, etc., are not available, but it was estimated in 1925 that this production represented in total about one-third of the production on holdings of over one acre. The average annual wholesale prices per dozen of ordinary English eggs in England and Wales during 1927, 1928 and 1929 as com- 447W piled from returns furnished by the Ministry's market reporters, are given in the following table:
— 1st Quality. 2nd Quality. s. d. s. d. 1927 … … 1 10¼ 1 8 1928 … … 1 10½ 1 8¼ 1929 … … 2 0 1 10 Satisfactory information as to the annual average prices received by producers is not available, but it may be estimated that on the average the producers' prices are approximately 2d. to 3d. per dozen below the wholesale prices. With regard to retail prices, no figures are available as to England and Wales, but the average prices in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for fresh eggs of whatever origin, according to the returns collected by the Ministry of Labour for the purpose of the cost-of-living index number, were 2.¼d. each in 1927, 1928 and in 1929.