Mr. GENFELLasked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that the two witnesses before the Royal Commission who stated that beef killed abroad was sold as home-killed represented the retail trade and not the wholesale; and whether his Department has any evidence that the practice referred to has ever been pursued at Smithfield Market?
56W
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. General complaints as to the sale of fresh killed foreign meat in London as English meat have been received from time to time, but it has not been possible to obtain sufficient evidence to enable the Ministry to take legal proceedings under the Merchandise Marks Acts. I may add, however, that the evidence of Mr. Edwards, one of the two witnesses before the Royal Commission, expressly referred to the practice in Smithfield Market. It would obviously be most difficult to obtain evidence to show that Dutch veal or mutton or Canadian or American beef killed at Birkenhead was notbonâ fide home grown produce.