§ Colonel Carverasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, as representing the Ministry of Food, whether he can make any statement as to the numbers of breeding sheep slaughtered in this country in the last six months; and whether such large scale slaughter is prejudicial to the interests of the country?
Major Lloyd GeorgeThe Government do not consider it desirable in war conditions to publish statistics of the nature asked for by my hon. and gallant Friend. The number of breeding sheep slaughtered in the last six months was larger than usual, but in all the present circumstances the increased slaughter was not prejudicial to the interests of the country. The numbers of breeding sheep had increased considerably in the last few years before the war.