§ 68. Mr. Darlingasked the Minister of. Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the amount of Exchequer subsidies paid on pigmeat exported from the United Kingdom in 1963; and what effect recent increases in exports have had on home supplies and prices.
§ Mr. SoamesThe amount of subsidy cannot be calculated since not all the pigmeat exported is derived from certified animals which have had the subsidy, and the rate of subsidy payment varies from week to week. Exports in 1963 were 5,276 tons of pork and 1,342 tons of bacon; this compares with total supplies on the United Kingdom market of 532,800 tons of pork and 602,200 tons of bacon and ham. 15,541 live pigs were exported, compared with 12.2 million slaughterings in the United Kingdom. It is reasonable to assume that such marginal quantities could not have 145W had a significant effect in raising prices at home, but to the extent that they did have an effect, there would have been a consequential overall reduction in the Exchequer subsidy. Exports have recently increased, but are still small in relation to total supplies.