§ Mr. Pymasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, to encourage replacement plans of pig producers, he will now give more details of what he intends to do to safeguard pig producers at the end of the present subsidy scheme.
§ Mr. PeartNo, but discussions are in progress with the interests concerned about the long-term future of the agriculture industry including the pig sector.
§ Mr. Pymasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now take account of the fall in the end price of pigs and the level of remuneration currently received by producers, and 553W increase the subsidy to make good this fall.
§ Mr. PeartNo. The 50p per score subsidy is making a major contribution to producers' returns. Although the average price of certified pigs has fallen since the subsidy was introduced, it has been relatively steady since Easter and, while feed costs have eased, producers' average total returns for certified pigs have, thanks to the subsidy, been in general as high or higher since the subsidy was introduced than they were previously this year.