§ 47. Sir D. Rentonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why farmers who were unable to harvest the whole or parts of their potato crops during the present season are required under the Scheme approved by him to make acreage payments to the Potato Marketing Board in respect of the whole of the crop instead of confining such payments to those acres which could be harvested.
§ Mr. HoyThe Potato Marketing Scheme, 1955, as amended to 1st May, 1962, requires the Marketing Board to determine liability for the ordinary annual contribution of £3 per acre by reference to the acreage planted and not to the acreage harvested. The Board do, however, seek to mitigate hardship by allowing settlement of the amount due to be deferred until the following year's contribution becomes payable; in exceptional cases they have allowed even longer. Drafts of the Scheme and of its amendment in 1962 were laid before each 103W House of Parliament and approved, as required by the Agricultural Marketing Acts.