§ Major CARVERasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that the recent census showed that there are over 1,300,000 horses in this country and that accordingly, on the basis that a horse consumes approximately 10s. worth of fodder a week, these horses consume British agricultural produce to the value of over £30,000,000 per year, he can state whether he is taking any steps, both to guard against the tendency to introduce on farms mechanised transport dependent on imported fuel and to discourage the banning of horse-drawn transport on the roads?
§ Mr. ELLIOTWith regard to horse-drawn transport on the roads, I would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to my reply on the 16th December last to a question on this subject by my hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton). The question as to how far mechanisation should be adopted on farms is one I think which must be left to the discretion of the farmers themselves.