§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what forms of subsidy, overt or hidden, are known by his Department to be being given to the French egg industry.
§ Mr. PeartI understand teat Government assistance to the egg industry in France has taken the form of repayable loans made by FORMA—the agricultural market guidance and stabilisation fund—to a price equalisation fund organised by certain producer groups whose members account for about one-fifth of total French egg production.
Secondly, the French Government announced on 14th March a proposal to 50W introduce a scheme to encourage the slaughter of 2 million laying hens. The details of this proposal are. I understand being discussed with the French industry.