§ Sir J. Smedley Crookeasked the Minister of Agriculture what steps, if any, the Bacon Development Board has taken, or is taking, to counteract the drop in the pig population to ensure an immediate and rapid rise necessary in the number of bacon pigs in the country?
§ Sir W. WomersleyI have been asked to reply. Although the Development
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County. Number of applications received for particulars of the scheme. Number of occupiers who have so far notified their intention to plough. Acreage proposed to be ploughed up Aberdeen … … 66 28 1.079 Angus … … 28 13 259½ Argyll … … 18 6 140 Ayr … … 90 59 710½ Banff … … 15 9 161 Berwick … … 36 19 650½ Bute … … 8 6 119½ Caithness … … 19 6 1091½ Clackmannan … … 2 — — Dumfries … … 63 28 395 ½ Dunbarton … … 14 9 98 ½ East Lothian … … 12 6 237 Fife … … 57 27 764 Inverness … … 18 11 195 Kincardine … … 11 5 51 Kinross … … 9 3 83 ¾ Kirkcudbright … … 15 9 129 Lanark … … 74 36 679½ Midlothian. … … 3 17 337 Moray … … 19 10 296 Nairn … … 3 — — Orkney … … 22 10 190 Peebles … … 13 9 174 Perth … … 51 28 628½ Renfrew … … 17 8 77 Ross … … 25 11 220 Roxburgh … … 11 7 93 Selkirk … … 5 2 62 Stirling … … 23 12 655 Sutherland … … 7 3 32 West Lothian … … 5 4 74 Wigtown … … 20 10 335½ Zetland … … 2 — — Totals … … 808 411 9,026 ¾ Board will be anxious to do anything in its power which would contribute to an increase in the supply of pigs for bacon, it is not a duty of the board to secure an increase in the pig population of this country. It is for producers individually to decide whether, and to what extent, they wish to produce pigs.