§ Mr. Thorneasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food why home-killed meat is being withheld from Romford, Barking, Dagenham and Horn- 1836W church, which affects 300,000 people; and what he intends doing about this?
Major Lloyd GeorgeRetail butchers in the areas mentioned by my hon. Friend have refused to accept the Ministry's grading of home produced meat. In these circumstances there is no alternative but to restrict supplies to imported meat about which there can be no dispute as to grading. In reply to the last part of my hon. Friend's Question my Department will be happy to provide the usual proportion of home-produced meat as soon as the butchers, through their Retail Buying Committees, intimate that they are prepared to accept the authorised grading of such meat.