asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the prospects for the sale of store sheep in Scotland this autumn.

Producers have a good lamb crop to market, and the level of the fat sheep guarantee was increased in April by 11 per cent. The new Community sheep regime will give a further substantial increase in market support, as my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food made clear to the House earlier this week. In their understandable concern to get a firm date for implementation of the regime, producers should not lose sight of the terms of the regime which offers major long-term benefits. Meantime, I would urge them to market lambs normally.

As the June census figures, which have just been published, show a net percentage increase in lamb numbers in Scotland, will my right hon. Friend take every possible step to create confidence in the autumn store sales?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend. As there is now the prospect of a sheepmeat regime that should help farmers, I hope that there will be an increase in confidence in the sales.

Is the Secretary of State aware that the sales are already under way and therefore any announcement is already too late? I have received letters from farmers in my own constituency, and from farmers in the Secretary of State's constituency, stating that they no longer have confidence in the Conservative Government.

Plenty of letters on these matters come in all the time from sheep farmers and other farmers. The important thing is to remember the interests of those whom we are supposed to represent. They are interested in having a market in which they can be confident and in a sheepmeat regime that will help them.