§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the number of egg producers in the United Kingdom; and what percentage of these producers have diversified into other forms of agricultural production in the last two years.
§ Mr. RyderInformation about the number of egg producers who may have diversified into other forms of agricultural production in the last two years is not available. However, details of the number of holdings with laying fowls in the United Kingdom, taken from the United Kingdom annual agricultural census, in this period are given in the table.
Year Number of holdings (thousands) 1986 44.6 1987 41.9 1988 41.3 Very small holdings which make only occasional returns are excluded from these figures.