§ Dr. Strossasked the Minister of Food what increase is obtained in the tonnage of offals per year by the recent reduction of the extraction rate of wheat; what additional quantity of wheat must be imported; and what is the respective value in dollars and in sterling of the offals saved and of the extra imports needed.
§ Mr. WebbOn the assumption that there will be no variation in the quantity of flour milled, an additional 260,000 tons a year of wheat will be produced as the result of the reduction of the flour extraction rate from 85 per cent. to 81 per cent.; an additional 260,000 tons of wheat will be needed and as all millable English wheat offered would be used in any case this additional quantity will be imported. Assuming that the extra wheat had to be obtained from Canada at the maximum price under the International Wheat52W Agreement the cost imported into the United Kingdom would be about £7,300,000.
Wheat offals are of special value for animal feeding and the additional 260,000 tons will replace a similar quantity of coarse grains, which marginally have to be imported from dollar sources. Maize is the best alternative to wheat offals and at current prices the cost of 260,000 tons of United States maize imported into the United Kingdom would be about £7 million.