BRITAIN’S FOOD STOCKS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25800, 22 March 1945, Page 6

BRITAIN’S FOOD STOCKS

NO GREAT RESERVES IN HAND NEGOTIATIONS WITH AMERICA RUGBY, Mar. 20. Colonel Llewellin, Minister of Food, stated to-day that negotiations were proceeding with the Uniied States Government on the .allocation of Allied food supplies. Commenting on foreign reports that Britain held 700,000,000 tons of foodstuffs in store, he said: “I only wish this were true. The fact is that never at any time during the war have we had stocks anything like this size. If we had that quantity our troubles now would be greatly reduced. A few extra noughts seem to have crept in.” The Minister explained that during the U-boat campaign and while there was danger of food stocks from air bombardment we maintained security stocks. The change in the situation last year decided the Government to reduce these stocks. “We, therefore, decided to allocate for civilian consumption in liberated Europe practically the whole quantity of foodstuffs we had been maintaining in this country for security reasons. This we decided to do some time before DDay. The position to-day, therefore, is that stocks are reduced to the level required to maintain efficient distribution. They are now working stocks and there is no margin for security. The real issue is how best to allocate current food supplies to the free world. In my opinion it is one of the most difficult problems facing the Allied Governments at present.”

Colonel Llewellin said we had sent or promised to liberated countries all we could give them, except things like seed potatoes. The present meat ration in Britain was made up of home-killed sd, South American 4Jd, southern dominions 2d, Canadian id, and United States 2d. Colonel Llewellin added that other staple foods in short supply were dairy produce, fats, sugar, and to some extent canned fish. The food situation would be tight until next harvest.

The Minister said no decision had yet been reached whether he and Mr Lyttelton would go to the United States 'for talks on the food situation. It was possible they might go. It was very helpful for responsible Ministers on both sides of the Atlantic to get together to discuss problems. The Daily Telegraph’s correspondent reports that Colonel Llewellin and Mr Lyttelton have been invited to Washington to discuss the food situation.