Britain: An official handbook > 1956

INDUSTRY
147
for 45 per cent by value of total imports pre-war and about 40 per cent in 1954.
The percentages by weight of total supplies of certain foods provided by home pro¬
duction in post-war years compared with the pre-war average are shown in Table 20.
TABLE 20
Percentage of Total UK Food Supplies Provided by Home Agriculture
Pre-war
average
1945
1951
1954
Wheat and flour for human consump¬
tion (as wheat equivalent) . .
Oils and fats (crude oil equivalent)
Sugar (refined value) . .
Carcass meat and offal
Bacon and ham (excluding canned im¬
ports)
Butter
Cheese ..
Condensed milk
Dried milk (whole and skimmed)
Shell eggs
Milk for human consumption (as
liquid)
Potatoes for human consumption
12
16
18
51
29
9
24
70
59
71
100
94
32
7
32
50
32
8
10
59
49
87
100
100
24
10
23
65
48
4
18
63
43
86
100
97
28
16
21
67
46
10
38
97
50
86
100
96
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
In 1947 plans were made to secure an increase in the volume of annual
agricultural net output to about 50 per cent above the pre-war level by 1952.
This objective was in fact achieved, the official index number (pre-war average
= 100) being 153 for 1952-53. A further objective to raise this to at least 160 by
1956 was announced in 1952 (Cmd. 8556). This objective was reaffirmed in 1954
{Cmd. 9104) and in 1955 {Cmd. 9406) although it is now unlikely that it will
be achieved until two or three years later. Still further expansion depends on the
continual success of the industry in reducing costs and improving quality, particu¬
larly of livestock products, and so reducing the cost to the Exchequer of carrying
out the guarantees under the Agriculture Act (see p. 149). The index number for
1954-55 is provisionally given as 153, compared with 155 for 1953-54. The decline
was due to particularly bad weather during the year. Table 21, overleaf, shows the
trend in production of some of the main products since the war.
The Government continues to look to the following means of increasing the net
output of the industry:
(1) more beef production; and more mutton and lamb (particularly if unit
costs of production can be reduced);
(2) continued and steady improvement in crop yields;
(3) a saving in the heavy bill for feed imports by:
{a) more ley farming, improved management and use of grass, and
{b) skill and economy in the use of concentrated feedingstuffs.
At the 1955 Annual Review (see pp. 149-51) the Government discouraged
further increase in the output of pigmeat by reducing the guarantee.