§ Mr. Liddallasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he can state the basis adopted in allotting the output quotas to registered curers under the bacon marketing scheme in respect of the current year; and whether, as a result of this allocation, the output of any registered curers has been restricted below their capacity?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonI am informed that the formula adopted by the Bacon Marketing Board for the determination of curers' sales quotas for 1937 in respect of bacon manufactured from pigs produced in Great Britain was the curer's average annual output of such bacon during the two years ending on 2nd November, 1935, increased by 60 per cent. in order to create a margin for expansion. Where, however, a quota so calculated amounted to less than 30 per cent. of the curer's output in 1936, the quota for 1937 was determined at 30 per cent. of the 1936 output. As to the last part of the question, the total capacity of bacon factories is greatly in excess of the supply of pigs at present available, and it would, therefore, appear probable that the annual sales quota of almost every curer is less than his capacity.