Orders of the Day — First Schedule. — (Constitution and Proceedings of Wheat Commission.)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 7 April 1932.

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Photo of Lord  Scone Lord Scone , Perth

We have no desire to press this Amendment to a Division providing the right hon. Gentleman will give us the assurance that he will give the special problems affecting the grower of wheat in Scotland due consideration and sympathy. In view of the fact that on an average only some 60,000 acres of wheat are grown in Scotland we fully realise that we can hardly expect a commissioner all to ourselves. At the same time the problems affecting wheat growing in Scotland are in many respects so different from those in England that it is only fair that some special consideration should be given to them. It may surprise some English Members to learn that wheat in Scotland is more productive than in England. The average yield is some 25 per cent. higher than it is in England, and, moreover, the wheat is of excellent quality. As in England there has been a certain decline in the acreage under wheat in the past few years, but I believe that decline will be checked this year. In my own county there was a decrease of several hundred acres from 1930 to 1931, but I know that many farmers, in the expectation of getting the wheat quota payments, have sown more wheat this year, and I should not be surprised if we again attain to the figure of 7,000 acres which gave my county third place in the wheat-growing areas of Scotland in the last few years.

In 1930, the last year for which I have complete figures, Angus headed the list of counties with 12,000 acres, Fife came second and Perthshire third. Those three counties accounted for more than half the wheat grown in Scotland. There is a very large area of Scotland which is quite suitable for wheat growing, though, admittedly, a much larger area is not suitable, but if we get due consideration given to our special problems I have no doubt there will be an enormous increase in the area in Scotland under wheat, and that will undoubtedly be of the greatest benefit to Scottish agriculture generally. I can fully support my hon. Friend the hon. Member for Galloway (Mr. McKie) when he says that this Measure is welcomed by Scottish agriculturists, and I hope the right hon. Gentleman will at least give us his sympathy in the proposal we bring forward.