§ 36. Mr. Snowasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many milk producers have gone out of business in Staffordshire since 1957; and whether he is aware of the hardship caused to milk producers in general, and farmers with holdings of 50 acres and less in particular, owing to the lack of profitability in milk; and what action he proposes to take;
(2) if he is aware that the cost of milk production on a 50 acre holding in Staffordshire since 1959 has increased by 3d. per bushel for wet feeding grain, 35 per cent. for electricity, and 10 per cent. for water supply; and what policy he proposes to enable such farmers to make a living.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsThe number of farmers in Staffordshire registered as wholesale milk producers with the Milk Marketing Board fell from 5,140 in 1957 to 4,200 in 1963. But over the same period the number of cows in the county increased by about 4 per cent. and the quantity of milk produced for sale by 11 per cent. Prices of feedingstuffs, electricity and water supplies have increased since 1959; the precise charges on a particular farm would depend on the individual circumstances.
The level of dairy incomes will of course be taken into account at this year's annual review, although naturally cannot anticipate the Government's decisions. Meanwhile, the Small Farmer Scheme is helping many small farmers to improve their incomes.
§ Sir Richard Glynasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by how much the price of liquid milk in the last Price Review exceeded the average price received by all milk producers 180W in each calendar month since the publication of the review.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsThe guaranteed price to the Milk Marketing Board for England and Wales, as determined at the last review, is 38.40d. a gallon related to a standard quantity of 1742.5 million gallons. This is an annual figure and it is left to the Board to determine how it should be applied to producers' prices over the year. The average monthly prices provisionally announced by the Board at the beginning of the year and as finally determined up to the end of January, after deduction for ex-farm transport averaging about 1.1d. a gallon, are as follows (figures in pence per gallon):
— Provisional Final 1963 April … 32.79 33.37 May … 24.11 24.62 June … 24.06 24.30 July … 28.24 29.03 August … 32.98 32.98 September … 35.81 36.51 October … 36.48 37.25 November … 36.89 39.35 December … 37.29 40.24 1964 January … 37.42 40.54 February … 36.92 March … 36.16 It is expected that over the whole of the year the producers' price will average about 34.75d. a gallon, an increase of about 1¾ per gallon compared with 1962–63.