§ Dr. Marshallasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the prospects for egg producers in England and Wales in the light of subsidised competition from Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartI do not expect that the scheme announced by the74W Ministry of Agriculture for Northern Ireland on 6th September will have any adverse effect on the prospect for egg producers in England and Wales. Payments will only be made to producers who restrict their laying flocks to a maximum size not greater than in a previous twelve-month period, and who enter contracts with packers encouraging more orderly marketing. The latest figures of chick placings for both Northern Ireland and Great Britain indicate that the basic problem of overproduction is easing to the benefit of the whole industry.