HC Deb 07 February 1957 vol 564 cc75-6W
67. Mr. John Hill

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the number of officers in his Department who are concerned with the licensing of bulls; what other work these officers perform; and what is the estimated annual cost of bull licensing in salaries and other expenses.

Mr. Godber

Eighty livestock husbandry advisory officers of my Department inspect bulls for licensing. They also undertake a wide variety of other work connected with the improvement of livestock and advise farmers on livestock husbandry matters. The estimated annual cost of bull licensing after allowing for receipts from fees is £39,000.

68. Mr. John Hill

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number and proportion of bulls rejected to bulls inspected by licensing officers in recent years.

Mr. Godber

The following is the information:

Year ended 31st March Bulls inspected by Licensing Officers Bulls rejected Percentage rejected
1952 … … 26,748 3,162 11.8
1953 … … 23,553 2,566 10.9
1954 … … 25,438 2,541 10.0
1955 … … 23,069 2,266 9.8
1956 … … 21,177 2,134 10.1