§ Mr. Joplingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the average monthly number of slaughterings of cattle, sheep and pigs over the last five years; and what proportion of United Kingdom demand this constituted in each of those months.
§ Mr. HoyThe percentages of imported and home-produced supplies for these commodities are given in the attached table.
Home-produced supplies of food in 1938–39 provided about half of the United Kingdom's requirements of temperate foods. Home output has risen substantially, and by 1968–69 the share provided by home agriculture will have increased to about two-thirds of requirements.
Work is in progress on a time series designed to measure the degree of the United Kingdom's self-sufficiency in food in recent years, and results should be available later this year.