§ Mr. Ness Edwardsasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will take into account when fixing the ploughing quota for the South Wales area the experience of farmers in failing to harvest a large proportion of their crops on account of the heavy rainfall?
Mr. HudsonI can assure the hon. Member that factors such as heavy rainfall, which have a naturally limiting effect on successful corn growing, are taken into account in assessing quotas of priority cereal crops which farmers are required 1321W to produce. In districts of heavy rainfall my demands for ploughing are directed primarily to increasing livestock and winter milk production and to making livestock self-supporting. Although some oats must be grown, farmers in such districts are urged to devote more of their tillage to forage crops and leys and to extend direct re-seeding.