Viscountess Astorasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will state what is the value of each of the following commodities: milk, other dairy produce, beef, sheep and lambs, poultry, including eggs, wheat, barley, oats, fruit, vegetables, 790W and sugar produced in England for the last two years for which figures are available; and whether he will give the acreage devoted to wheat, barley, oats, sugar-beet, horticulture, and grass for the same years?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithThe particulars asked for by the Noble Lady are given in the following statements:
(1) Estimated value of the production of certain agricultural products in the years 1936–37 and 1937–38 in England and Wales. Commodity 1936–7 1937–8 £ million £ million Liquid Milk (a) 51.9 53.9 Other dairy produce (b) 3.9 4.2 Cattle and Calves (c) 27.0 30.6 Sheep and Lambs 15.6 16.0 Poultry (including eggs) 22.2 23.1 Wheat (c) 12.2 11.7 Barley 6.7 7.3 Oats 8.5 7.9 Fruit (d) 8.3 7.2 Vegetables (d) 15.4 17.8 Sugar Beet 5.9 4.7 (a) Includes milk sold for manufacture.
(b) Farm production only.
(c) Not including payments on account of the Cattle Industry (Emergency Pro Acts, the Livestock Industry Act and the Wheat Act which, in respect of England and Wales, have been as follows:
Cattle. Wheat. £ £ 1936–37 … 2,830,000 1,260,000 1937–38 … 2,820,000 1,930,000 (d) Excluding fruit and vegetables grown under glass. Glasshouse Produce together with flowers grown in the open, and nursery stock, was valued in each of the years 1936–37 and 1937–38 at £8.8 million.
(2)Acreage under certain crops and grass in 1936 and 1937 as returned by the occupiers of agricultural holdings in England and Wales on 4th June those years. Crop. 1936. 1937. Acres. Acres. Wheat 1,704,469 1,731,865 Barley 818,943 822,835 Oats 1,419,870 1,223,195 Sugar-beet 348,659 306,623 Fruit, Vegetables, and certain Horticultural Crops (a). 741,728 657,473 Grass (b) 17,844,417 17,977,639 (a) Excluding potatoes and certain minor vegetable crops for which particulars are not available.
(b) Permanent and Rotation Grass.