§ Sir G. Jeffreysasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, why sales of seedcorn from one farm to another are no longer permitted even though some farmers may have specialised in pedigree corn; and why this further restriction is regarded as essential?
Major Lloyd GeorgeIt has not been possible to allow unrestricted sales of grain as seed grain from one farmer to another, because it is necessary for the Ministry of Food to make sure that all millable wheat, other than seed wheat, sold off farms shall be available for human consumption, that oats sold off farms shall be available for oatmeal milling or for the feeding of essential transport horses and colliery ponies, and in general to ensure that the provisions of Orders fixing maximum prices for grain sold off farms shall not be defeated. Last season farm-to-farm sales of barley, oats and beans for seed purposes were permitted under individual licences issued by County War Agricultural Executive Committees in England and Wales and Agricultural. Executive Committees in Scotland; similar licences were issued in the case of wheat from November to March. Arrangements have now been agreed with the Agricultural Departments enabling farm-to-farm sales of wheat, oats, barley, beans and rye for seed purposes to be licensed in the same way during the present cereal year.