§ Captain McEwenasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food whether he will consider substituting a pro rata reduction of supplies of manufacturing meat to all retailers alike instead of cutting off supplies entirely from certain retailers only?
Major Lloyd GeorgeThe change in the method of allocating meat for manufacturing to certain butchers has not resulted in the cutting off of all their supplies; the retailers affected will, in future, receive an additional 2½per cent. of the supplies they are entitled to purchase for their 1239W registered customers, this addition being allocated to them for manufacturing purposes. This is the same arrangement as applies to all retailers who do not benefit by the special arrangement which, prior to the change, was in force in the case of those retailers whose utilisation of meat for manufacturing amounted to at least 10 cwts. per week on the average in 1938. This minimum has now been raised to one ton. The change was introduced after consultation with the national organisations of the retail meat trade and has generally been approved by them. Its object is to make supplies of manufacturing meat available to pork butchers in lieu of pork since, with its inclusion in the 1240W meat ration, pork may be sold only by general butchers.