§ Mr. Bidgoodasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect the proposed new arrangements relating to Danish imports will have on the policy of State trading in bacon.
Mr. AmoryThe arrangements announced today will have the effect of enabling trade in imported bacon to be restored to private hands as from 1st October next. When, in November, 1953, the Government announced its policy for the Decontrol of Food and Marketing of Agricultural Produce (Cmd. 8989), it stated that rationing, allocation and price control of meat and bacon would be ended in the summer of 1954 and that the import of meat would be restored to private traders. It added that the Ministry of Food would "continue for some time to come to import bacon."
The long-term contracts with our over-seas suppliers end on September 30th, and, thereafter, the trade will be free to import bacon on its own account. Apart from sugar for which legislation is now pending and certain minor contracts with the Colonies, bacon is the last of the imported foodstuffs traded in by my 119W Department. The new arrangements will, therefore, virtually complete the process of ending State trading in food.