Orders of the Day — Agriculture

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 29 June 1964.

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Photo of Mr Richard Winterbottom Mr Richard Winterbottom , Sheffield, Brightside 12:00, 29 June 1964

I shall deal with that point, but the fact is that Argentine exports to many Continental countries have been greater this year than for many years past. The 1964 Act led to the cutting oft of Argentine supplies at a time when they were vitally necessary here, and the scarcity led to increased prices.

I speak with knowledge of workers in the distributive trades, in the meat processing factories, and in slaughter houses. It was my job to help to organise these people, before I had the honour of being elected to this House. I have received reports from responsible trade union officers in every district of the country on the meat crisis of the last three months. If I may paraphrase these reports, they say that workers in wholesale meat distribution and those engaged in meat processing are suffering as a result of the meat crisis, as redundancies are common throughout the country. This happened at a time when we were nearing the peak kill. Slaughtermen who should have been working overtime were being sent home on what is called the fall back wage. Workers in the meat processing factories were dismissed as redundant. These serious effects were felt not only in the meat processing factories, but also in the bacon factories. The Minister knows that I have these reports. He has had them.

I do not say that I disapprove of the 1964 Act in general. It is right that the Government should have some control over imports. My hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen was very near the truth in what she said; the Minister cut off too many supplies at the wrong time. Even though a mistake was made, I approve of the 1964 Act. I believe that it may prove to be of general benefit.

My real purpose is speaking is to dispel the illusion that butchers were living in a financial paradise during the meat crisis. On 12 April this year an enterprising journalist went to an auction where a bullock was sold, and traced that bullock right through from the slaughterhouse to the butcher's block, weighing everything and comparing prices. He gave a factual report to his newspaper. I thought that I would do the same thing in respect of a bullock of the same weight, so I went to a butcher friend of mine and we traced a bullock— 20 months old and 952 lbs. on the hoof-right through until the stage where my butcher friend bought it from the wholesaler.

The farmer who sold the bullock did not get very much profit. Although, after 20 months of looking after it and spending about £70 or £71, he made a profit of only £20. That prompted me to think that our farm subsidies were not quite as good as they might be. The bullock eventually became two sides of beef; the hide, the offal, and the hoofs had disappeared. The carcase, or the two sides, then weighed about 530 lbs. The butcher then had to start trimming and boning, and by the time he had done that he had 410 lbs. of meat, for which he had paid 2s. 7½d. a lb. He paid about £69 for the whole carcase.

He had 410 lbs. of meat, and the price of the highest cut was 8s. 6d. a lb. Many people would think that he would get 8s. 6d. a lb. for the whole of the 410 lbs. Nothing of the kind. It is not possible to get so much fillet steak, rump steak and porterhouse steak out of one bullock. Half of that 410 lbs. he had to sell at less than cost price because it was rough stuff. When we finished reckoning up we found that he had made £11 on two sides of a bullock that had cost him £69.

Whatever the Verdon Smith Committee may say and whatever mistakes it may have made about the profits that go to the wholesaler, in terms of gross value, 1d. per lb. is usually charged, and this is reduced to ¼d. per lb. net. For a bullock of the type I have referred to the profit will be £1. Nor does the farmer make a tremendous profit. Therefore, in my view taking the situation as a whole the general public is not unfairly treated. Surely the time has come when what is happening on the production side of industry and the distribution side should be more fully revealed in the interests of an educated democracy, so that people may understand completely.

I do not wish to deal too harshly with the Government. I condemn them only for making a mistake. It was a costly mistake for some. When I visit old people in my constituency and ask them what they have to eat I find that rarely has it included the best cuts of meat. When old people who have—as most of them have—given of their best in the service of their country and industry—cannot afford to buy meat, at the time of life when they are going down the Western slope, something should be done to remedy such a serious state of affairs.

As was said in the leading article in The Guardian this morning, there should be a complete review of the system of production and distribution, so that there can be a more complete understanding on the part of the general public.