HC Deb 27 June 1951 vol 489 cc140-1W
3. Sir I. Fraser

asked the Minister of Food if he anticipates that milk supplies for the remainder of the year will be sufficient to avoid a return to rationing.

Mr. Webb

It is impossible in this or in any other year to make a precise estimate in June of the volume of milk supplies to be expected in the autumn, a season when milk production always declines. Milk production in England and Wales has now passed the seasonal peak and is declining slightly, but the weekly level is about the same as last year. In Scotland the peak has also been passed, but the present weekly level of production is higher than last year's and from preliminary figures it appears that a new record has been created for milk production in any one week. Much depends on conditions in the next few weeks and I am watching the position closely.