§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will make a statement on the drought situation as it now affects farmers.
(2) if he will estimate the percentage loss of income this year due to the drought to farmers who produce (a) potatoes. (b) sugar beet and (c) cereal crops.
§ Mr. BishopOn 5th October my right hon. Friend gave a broad assessment of the effects of the drought on farming. Wet conditions have persisted in recent weeks. and although this has helped in some ways it has also brought problems. We shall be assessing the economic condition of the industry in detail in the270W annual review starting shortly; until then I cannot provide any more precise information about the impact of the drought.