§ Mr. Buchanan-Smithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many calves have been exported to Europe by air in the past three months and to the nearest convenient date this month; and how this compares with exports in 1966 and 1967.
§ Mr. HoyAs was explained by my hon. Friend in reply to the hon. Member's Question on 21st October, exports of calves are not shown separately in the Trade and Navigation Accounts. Because of the foot and mouth epidemic, continental countries imposed a ban on imports of livestock from the United Kingdom which was not lifted until August, 1968. Returns made to this Department by its veterinary officers show that, since the resumption of exports, calves exported to Europe by air have numbered about 3,000 up to the end of the second week of October. This is half the number in the corresponding period in 1967. Comparable figures for 1966 are not readily available, but exports of calves in that period are known to have been very small.—[Vol. 770, c.225.]
§ Mr. Buchanan-Smithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the effect of current exports of calves on the selective expansion programme in relation to home beef production.
§ Mr. HoyAs my hon. Friend indicated in reply to the hon. Member's Question on 21st October, the increase in calf exports so far this autumn has been small. To be set against this are the increase370W of around 50,000 in the breeding herd, despite the loss of 100,000 cows in the foot-and-mouth oubreak, and the fact that calf slaughter has been so much lower this year. For instance, some 50,000 fewer calves were slaughtered in July-September this year than in the same months in 1967. It is unlikely therefore that calf exports to date can have had any significant effect on our beef production prospects. But we are watching the position closely.—[Vol. 770, c. 225.]