HC Deb 12 December 1963 vol 686 cc123-4W
Mr. Wolrige-Gordon

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether he will take steps to grant subsidy forthwith on all the herring caught for fish-meal, to remain in operation until the present difficult situation of the fishing industry on the West Coast has come to an end;

(2) whether he will take steps to make the percentage figure for fishmeal subsidy to herring fishermen a flexible one to meet changing conditions.

Mr. Noble

No. The present arrangements, under which the fishermen may, in addition to the operational subsidy, obtain a subsidy of 25s. per cran on herring sold for reduction to oil and meal within a limit of 20 per cent. of the total landings of herring in any month at particular ports, were arrived at after discussion with the herring catchers' representatives and were subsequently prescribed in the Herring Subsidy (United Kingdom) Scheme, 1963, approved by Parliament last July. I do not think that the situation at present calls for an amendment of that scheme but the arrangements will, of course, be reviewed in the ordinary course before the end of the current subsidy year.

Mr. Wolrige-Gordon

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the fishmeal made in the United Kingdom is produced from herring landed by the Scottish herring drifter fleet.

Mr. Noble

I can give no precise answer because much of the raw material converted into fishmeal is in the form of fish offals—among which those resulting from the landings of the Scottish herring drifter fleet are not of course distinguishable; but it is estimated that the 4,166 crans of drifter-caught whole herring reported as sold in the United Kingdom in 1962 for conversion to meal and oil would have produced about 130 tons of fishmeal or about 0.2 per cent. of the total output of some 72,000 tons of fishmeal in the United Kingdom in that year. This year to 30th November, 24,600 crans of whole herring landed by drifter in the United Kingdom have been sold for fishmeal production so that the percentage figure may be of the order of 1.0 per cent.