HC Deb 17 February 1947 vol 433 cc119-21W
Mr. Skeffington-Lodge

asked the Minister of Agriculture whether the Government have yet made any plans for reviving the production of pigmeat and eggs in this country, with a view to lessening the drain on foreign exchange.

Mr. T. Williams

Yes, Sir. Since the closing stages of the war it has been generally recognised that an early revival of livestock production in this country is vital, alike in the interests of the national food supply, foreign exchange, and sound agricultural practice.

A world wide shortage of feedingstuffs has, however, persisted owing to the need for vast quantities of the products normally available for animal feeding to be diverted to direct human use. This situation will continue, for cereals during the first half of 1947, and for protein feeding- stuffs, particularly oilcakes, for a much longer period. There is good ground for hope that we may be able to secure greater quantities of imported cereal feedingstuffs during the second half of the present year, and, further, that the general cereal position of the United Kingdom will be better in 1948 than in 1947. A continued steady improvement is expected in the succeeding years. For the present, however, it is as essential as ever that every farmer should reach and maintain the highest degree of Self-sufficiency in feedingstuffs. This applies particularly to all classes of cattle and sheep for which the lack of protein feedingstuffs can be made good by devoting more attention to such products as silage, peas and beans.

Although in the circumstances it is not possible to give a firm assurance that full provision can be made for the necessary flow of feedingstuffs for the additional stock which will be bred, the need to plan now for the earliest practicable increase in the pig and poultry populations is so great that the Government have decided that it would be justifiable to take such steps as are possible forthwith and to announce their future intentions.

Last December chick rearing rations for replacement purposes were increased to ¼unit for each 20 birds kept on 4th June, 1946, and the allowance made on application for each sow or gilt about to farrow was fully restored to 6 units. A small further quantity of feedingstuffs is now available and will be used to effect a further increase in chick rearing rations for replacement purposes during the period January to April to ¼ unit for each 15 birds kept on 4th June, 1946.

Apart from supplies of feedingstuffs available on the ration, pig and poultry production on general farms has, during and since the war, been severely limited by the necessity to require maximum sales of millable wheat and barley off farms for human consumption. Farmers have been allowed to retain for feeding to their stock only a proportion of their non-millable wheat, 5 per cent. of wheat tailings and screenings, non-millable barley, and 5 per cent. or 10 per cent. of barley tailings and screenings. according to the time of year. These requirements must be maintained for the 1947 harvest, but it is intended to relax them so far as wheat and barley from the 1948 harvest are concerned, and in particular farmers will be allowed to retain if they wish a significant proportion, to be announced later, of their millable wheat and barley from the harvest of that year. In the meantime, strict compliance with the requirements of the Cereal Control Orders to sell all millable and potentially millable wheat and barley, must continue.

A continued steady increase in milk production remains essential and dairy cows will still have a first call on feedingstuffs supplies, but in so far as the hoped for increase in supplies of cereal feedingstuffs this year is realised it is intended to devote a large proportion of any such increase to improvements in the basic rations for commercial pigs and poultry. A definite announcement will be made at the earliest possible moment. In any case it is the intention, as in previous years, that the basic ration during the summer months for poultry kept on a commercial scale shall be 50 per cent. above the present winter rate. Sympathetic consideration will at the same time be given to the position of domestic pig and poultry producers.

The purpose of this indication of the Government's intentions is to encourage pig and poultry producers to begin forthwith a cautious, but steadily accelerating, increase in their breeding programmes and forward production commitments.