§ Mr. Leslie Boyceasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his recent estimate that the decrease in the poultry population since the outbreak of war has been infinitesimal was based on a census limited to certain classes of breeders of poultry, and not including the commercial egg-producer?
§ Sir R. Dorman-SmithThe return to which my hon. Friend refers was obtained from persons occupying one acre or more of agricultural land and related to the position on 4th March. It therefore covered all classes of poultry farmers. No census was taken for the corresponding date in 1939, but the information in my possession leads me to believe that the present poultry population is not substantially below normal.