asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will authorise the use of the vaccine to immunise cattle against Johne's disease now that the whole country is designated an attested area.

Much study is being made of immunisation as a method of controlling Johne's disease, but with the present state of knowledge it would not be wise to authorise the general use of vaccine against this disease while tuberculin testing is still a regular feature.

Has the Minister read the Answer which his predecessor gave to me on 7th July last year? If not, will he do so? If he has, will he bear in mind the losses incurred by farmers due to Johne's disease, and now that this country is an attested area as a whole, surely farmers should be allowed—those who wish to—to immunise their cattle against this disease?

I think that we would all be very glad if we could discover a vaccine which would be effective against Johne's disease without having a bad effect and creating more difficulties in the testing for tuberculosis, which still has to continue even though the country as a whole is clear. We have still to protect ourselves against T.B. breaking out again, and if we could find a suitable vaccine—and there are experiments going on in 350 farms at the moment—we would be glad to go forward on it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether in view of the low prices prevailing for barley, he will take steps to make an advanced deficiency payment for the 1961 crop at harvest time.

No, Sir. It would not be practicable to make advance deficiency payments to barley growers at harvest time. But I am well aware of the importance to growers of these payments and they will be made as early as possible.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that if the low prices for barley continue as at present the orderly marketing of this year's crop will be quite impossible. Small farmers depend enormously on the cash that they obtain at harvest time from barley. If prices are going to be as low as we think they will, farmers will not get this cash and the only satisfactory alternative will be to place an embargo on cheap subsidised imports coming in.

That is a different question and concerns our attitude towards importation. Concerning our own marketing, we have certain proposals that have been agreed with producer interests which, we hope, will make a contribution towards the more orderly marketing at home.

Will the Minister use all his persuasive powers around the Cabinet table, with the President of the Board of Trade, to ensure that we take quick and effective measures to stop the dumping of foreign barley.

As my hon. Friend knows, an application was submitted by the National Farmers' Union to the Board of Trade exactly a week ago today on this matter, and it is, I know, receiving the close attention of my right hon. Friend.

Does the Minister remember that at least six months ago we were warning him of a possible disaster in barley and asking him to call an international conference of exporters? Will he not now please call that conference, because it is better late than never.

An international conference is a different question to that on the Order Paper and that contained in the supplementary questions to it. It raises many difficult problems—of which, I am sure, the hon. Gentleman is fully aware—and it would not be efficacious if we were merely to have a conference of exporters. Importers would have to be represented as well, and there are no signs in the international field that support for that would be forthcoming

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will state the number of acres drained under drainage grants during the last year; and whether he is satisfied with the rate of progress.

In 1960, farm under-drainage schemes benefited some 110,000 acres. Information about the total acreage benefitting from all drainage work is not available. I can, however, tell my hon. Friend that grant-aid from the Department towards farm drainage schemes rose from £1⅔ million in 1958–9 to nearly £2½ million in 1959–60, and towards arterial drainage schemes from £2¾ million to £3⅓ million. This is good progress, but there is still much work to be done.

If, as I am certain he does, the Joint Parliamentary Secretary wishes to help small farmers in the improvement of their farms, he will realise that good drainage is the basic essential of all good farming. Will he not consider an increase in the grant, from 50 per cent. to some higher figure, to encourage this further?

Of course, it is realised that good drainage is important for any farming, but 50 per cent. is a substantial proportion of the cost of the work involved, and I think that very good reasons would have to be put forward before we could consider increasing it.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of deficiency payments to the agricultural industries in respect of beef for the past six months.

The estimated cost of deficiency payments paid on fat cattle for the 26 weeks ended 3rd June, 1961, is £12½ million.

Will my right hon. Friend not agree that this is a high total indeed? Is he aware that in a reply to me on 19th June the President of the Board of Trade stated that over £11½ million worth of beef was imported into this country in the first four months of this year? Will the Minister look into the question of these imports, which are causing farmers to receive a high subsidy? Surely it would be better to restrict imports and pay less subsidy to the farmers, who do not want so much.

Concerning the first part of my hon. Friend's supplementary question as to whether it is a large figure, it is, of course, a large figure, but it is less than 50 per cent. of the published estimate, adjusted after the Price Review, for the total deficiency payments for fat cattle. Concerning the second part about imports, in the last six months imports from abroad have been about 12 per cent. lower than for the same period last year, when the market at home was considerably higher.

Will the Minister talk to the butchers to see if he can stop them from averaging out prices of various commodities, such as beef and pork, so that we can get a true reflection of the falls in prices of beef to the consumer?

Of course, much averaging out goes on between different meats in the butchers' shops. It would be advantageous for the system as a whole if falls in the price of a certain type of meat were to be reflected in the retail price in such a way as to increase demand.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further reports he has received from his veterinary officers in Argentina showing the progress of the Argentine Government's campaign to confine foot-and-mouth disease by compulsory vaccination; and if the measures so far taken have had any significant effect on the risk of infection being carried by chilled and frozen meat shipped to the United Kingdom.

It seems clear from reports by my veterinary officers in the Argentine that the Argentine Government's vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease is making progress. Vaccination is said to have been completed in the buffer zone north of Patagonia, and in the province of La Pampa. In the province of Buenos Aires, from which most of the meat exported to this country is derived, about 80 per cent. of the cattle have been vaccinated. It is too early as yet to measure with any precision what has been the effect of this progress on the risk of infection being carried in meat shipped here from South America.

Does my right hon. Friend get the impression that this is really satisfactory progress and that the Argentine authorities are now really seriously tackling the problem of foot-and-mouth disease? Can the Minister say if any requests have been made to the research station at Pirbright for assistance in this matter?

Concerning the first part of my hon. Friends supplementary question, we all agree that considerable progress has been made in quite a short time in the Argentine. I cannot, however, answer the second part without notice.

Can the Minister say whether it is accepted that vaccination is now effective in this matter? Is he now prepared to authorise farmers in this country to use it?

There is no doubt that vaccination in a country the size of Argentine, with the number of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease with which they have to contend—and the same applies in France—is most advantageous. But in a country such as ours, where the disease is not endemic and the number of outbreaks is comparatively small, by far the better means of control is slaughter, and that, indeed, is the point which many other countries would like to reach.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements exit whereby Government-financed plant-breeding stations make available their basic research results and material to plant breeders.

Research results are published in the reports of the institutes concerned and in appropriate scientific journals. The institutes are always ready to demonstrate their material, methods and results to plant breeders, to discuss problems and to give information and advice. Basic plant material which has been tested at the institutes is supplied to private plant breeders on request.

While wishing to draw my right hon. Friend's attention to the co-operation that exists, may I ask him to make sure that viruses and diseases are also available at Government plant breeding establishments for private breeders?

I think I can assure my hon. Friend that we try to be as helpful and co-operative as possible, and, as far as disease-resistant cereals material is concerned, it is hoped that more will be released this autumn.

Would the hon. Gentleman not agree that this matter should perhaps be considered in the wider aspect of the Report of the findings of the Engholm Committee?

I hope my right hon. Friend will be able to make a statement on that shortly.