§ Major Legge-Bourkeasked the Minister of Agriculture how many different categories of areas administered by county A.E.C.s. there are; what are these categories; how great a percentage of total acreage of each area decides the classification; and if the chairman and chief executive officers of each area are 238W specialists in the relevant categories, naming the areas where there are exceptions.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI assume that the hon. and gallant Member has in mind the general nature of the farming activities carried on in each of the 62 administrative areas for which there are county war agricultural executive committees. Owing to the wide variety of crops and stock and even of farming systems within any particular county, classification into categories would be either impracticable or unprofitable. The chairmen of war agricultural executive committees are chosen for other capacities than that of specialised knowledge of local systems of farming or horticulture. The staff of each committee, however, includes officers of the National Agricultural Advisory Service with an expert knowledge of the main farming or horticultural activities in the county.
In all but a few counties the executive officers are also county advisory officers of the N.A.A.S., and in those counties which are recognised as predominently horticultural, expert horticultural advisers of the N.A.A.S. are being appointed as executive officers as opportunity offers.