HC Deb 23 February 1966 vol 725 cc96-7W
91. Mr. Wolrige-Gordon

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what types and classes of farms and farming are the most heavily subsidised.

Mr. John Mackie

Only a broad indication can be given, and the position fluctuates from year to year. In 1964–65 subsidies as a proportion of total revenue were somewhat higher on cereal farms and on hill sheep farms than they were on mixed and general cropping farms. The rate of subsidy on pigs and eggs was also relatively high in that year. Milk, like sugar beet, attracts no direct Exchequer subsidy, the cost of the guaranteed price being met by the consumer. Dairy farms therefore tend to receive a smaller proportion of their revenue from Exchequer subsidy than other types of farms. For any given type of farm, the proportion of revenue due to subsidy does not vary significantly with the size of the farm.