GREAT BRITAIN’S AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION

Northland Age, Volume 3, Issue 15, 12 January 1934, Page 2

GREAT BRITAIN’S AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION

A constitutional revolution is being achieved in Britain by the recent Agricultural Marketing Act. This Act provides a method of controlling imports so that they do not swamp essential agricultural interests, and hopes, by arranging contracts with home producers, to secure reasonably regular supplies. These contracts will be binding and businesslike and can be enforced. In everyone’s interest it is desirable to secure reasonable steadiness of pricelevels on national grounds. The farmer has to plan his production a year or more ahead, and if he is to continue to be the sport of the very exceptional conditions now prevailing home-produced foods may become very scarce in some seasons. English-Grown Bacon A useful Pig Marketing Scheme is being considered by pig-breeders. To encourage the curing of bacon farmers are asked to register and then contract to supply a definite number of bacon pigs regularly to 'the bacon curers during the curing season. Any farmer who registers will be held to his contract, but may not send in more. '' As soon as the Minister of Agriculture knows what the country promises to produce, the quota of foreign supplies will be fixed with the object of securing reasonably steady price-levels year by year, and En-glish-grown bacon will be seen on the breakfast table in increasing quantities ; but only the registered producers may sell bacon pigs to the curers. If the scheme is well supported other interests may ask to be conti oiled and protected in the same way. It is possible that surplus bacon pigs may be sent into the fresh pork market and seriously prejudice those fanners who cater for the “young porker” trade, and thus the demand for control will gradually be extended. Great Britain cannot look for the heavy export trade of twenty and more years ago. Other nations are increasing their capacity for manufacture, and it seems desirable that our good agriculturists should not be driven out of business by erratic or excessive supplies of surplus foodstuffs from overseas, sent in with no regard for demand.—Children’s Newspaper.