asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is now able to report the outcome of the investigations announced by him on 25 May into the financial problems faced by certain growers at four Land Settlement Association estates; and whether he intends to take any action as a result.
Officers of my Agricultural Development and Advisory Service have now completed detailed investigations into the circumstances of each of the 75 tenants who entered into tenancies on ChawstonPotton, Fulney, Fen Drayton and Newbourn after 1 October 1978, which I announced in answer to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mr. Hastings) on 25 May 1982.—[Vol. 24, c.298.]This examination concerned the value of the glass on entry and the computations which these tenants were given by officers of the Land Settlement Association. On two of the estates, Fen Drayton and Newbourn, the investigation has revealed no evidence of a general over-statement in these two calculations, although there were overstatements in a few individual cases. At Chawston-Potton, and to a lesser extent Fulney, the investigation suggests that during the period in question these two calculations had been generally too high.My officials have written today to the individual growers concerned informing them of the outcome of these investigations in their particular case. Without accepting legal liability for any difficulties which individual tenants may have encountered, an appropriate financial offer is
| Number of Pig Producers | Per cent. of Total Replies | Number of Pigs Owned | Per cent. Total Replies | |
| In favour of an eradication programme | 9,433 | 85·7 | 5,550,713 | 86·6 |
| Against an eradication programme | 1,569 | 14·3 | 862,464 | 13·4 |