§ 73. Brigadier Medlicottasked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware that good agricultural land continues to be taken for the provision of playing fields, factories and other purposes to an extent that threatens the food productive capacity of the country; and, if in view of the failure of all existing attempts to stop this erosion of agricultural land, he will introduce legislation which will have the effect of creating a standstill in the loss of agricultural land and will prevent any such land being taken for any other purposes except under the most stringent safeguards.
§ Sir T. DugdaleI am aware of the continuing demands upon agricultural land for playing fields, factories and other forms of development. My Department is consulted on all such proposals. I cannot agree that the existing procedure has failed in its main object, which is to ensure that no good farm land is lost to food production where it can reasonably be avoided. There are already effective safeguards against the diversion of land from agriculture without full consideration, and I do not think further legislation on the lines suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend could be justified.
§ 76. Major Anstruther-Grayasked the Minister of Agriculture how many acres of agricultural land in England and Wales have been taken for housing, playing fields and kindred purposes since 1945; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of good land as opposed to ground of small agricultural worth included in this figure.
§ Sir T. DugdaleI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lonsdale (Sir I. Fraser) on 28th February. I regret that no reliable estimates are available of the classification of the land that has been lost to agriculture.