§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the total number of pig farmers registered in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. StrangThe June census records the number of holdings on which pigs are kept. The latest figures relate to June 1976, when there were 44,800 such holdings in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Hastingsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the average current loss 376W per pork pig to British producers at present.
§ Mr. StrangThere are no official records. Average returns for producers of pork pigs recorded during March in the Meat and Livestock Commission's Pig Feed Recording Scheme were:
Net Margins per pig (£)
Producers of Average Efficiency—£4.62.
Top third of producers of above average efficiency (based on feed cost per kg of liveweight gain)—£0.07.