Mr. ROSTRON DUCKWORTHasked the Minister of Agriculture what steps are being taken to improve the supply, and co-ordinate the sale, of United Kingdom butter; and whether he has any statistics to show the percentage of shops selling butter which do not stock the United Kingdom commodity at all?
§ Mr. ELLIOTA scheme under the National Mark for grading and marking creamery butter produced in England and Wales has been in existence since January, 1935. Further, I am glad to say that after a great deal of consideration a draft scheme under the Agricultural Marketing Acts for regulating the marketing in Great Britain of certain milk products, including butter, which it is hoped will have the effects referred to, has been submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and myself.1762W It will now go through the procedure for examination laid down in the Acts. The scheme is submitted by the National Association of Creamery Proprietors and the principal manufacturers of milk products who are not members of that association, including the Co-operative Wholesale Society. For information as to the position in Northern Ireland, I would refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. With regard to the last part of the question, I regret that I have no such statistics.