When an Agricultural Crisis confronted the landlords of England, they did not come snivelling to that House to ask for coercion; and he would ask the Constitutional and agricultural Party of England in that House, why should they hand to the Irish landowners in this severe strain of the Irish nation Bills for coercion and rack-renting, which, to their honour be it said, they would scorn 1218 and thrust from themselves?

The industry had made the fortune of the frontier town of Blandain, and enabled it successfully to tide over the Present Agricultural Crisis.

GLADSTONE: I said that the effects of the Agricultural Crisis were fully established in 1886.

GERALD BALFOUR said, what he referred to was an Agricultural Crisis.

It may be capable of improvement in many ways, but this I think any fair-minded person must admit, that it has tided the country through a Great Agricultural Crisis during the last thirty years.

In the Lowlands of Scotland we have got through, without Government assistance, without vast sums of money spent by the Exchequer, a Great Agricultural Crisis, without disorder, without discontent, and with less friction than has ever occurred in a great industry subjected to a tremendous and wholly unexpected strain.

To ask the Prime Minister if he can now make any further statement as to the holding of a non-party conference on the Agricultural Crisis.

Sir W. de FRECE asked the Prime Minister if he can now make any further statement as to the holding of a nonparty conference on the Agricultural Crisis?

For the right hon. Gentleman, who has been Prime Minister, to come down to the House in a time of Agricultural Crisis and rake up old stuff of that kind, and not tell the country how agriculture can be put upon its feet, is not carrying out the lead which he gave us during the War.

The Agricultural Crisis is evident from figures relating to the land under cultivation.

I can only reconcile myself by his concluding observation that the difference between us was not only a fundamental one but was so fundamental that it would not be resolved until long after both of us were dead, and I must say that if we are to wait for the solution of the Agricultural Crisis until long after both of us are dead, I am sure that my demise will come about rather earlier than later.

The impact of the Agricultural Crisis, which was world-wide, had two serious effects upon British agriculture.

In a discussion in the Second Committee of the Assembly, introduced by Mr. Stanley Bruce, the Australian delegate, he stressed the necessity for marrying agriculture and public health, and said that was desirable to take, as a remedy for malnutrition in the Agricultural Crisis, the necessity ofchanging the incidence of State protective subsidies so that they should serve to increase consumption lather than to restrict production.

In spite of those efforts, they are now told that there is an Agricultural Crisis, and that the agriculturalprogramme is in jeopardy, while it is further implied that it is their fault.

A great number of my hon. and right hon. Friends feel extremely strongly and bitterly about This Agricultural Crisis and I plead with the Leader of the House to take note of what I have said.

An Acute Agricultural Crisis has overtaken the country, and it came about when the right hon. Member for Grantham was Minister.

The Agricultural Crisis of 1974 must not he repeated this year.

beyond what was anticipated, will not the Fundamental Agricultural Crisis increase rather than be ameliorated?

The Agricultural Crisis consists not only of the difficulties in keeping subsidies for the farming sector under control.

I do not wish to raise the excitement level of the debate too quickly, but will the right hon. Lady tell the House who suggested that weshould give up some of our abatement to deal with the Agricultural Crisis?

I ought to say perhaps that as a result of the Agricultural Crisis we have changed the name of the illustrative motorway service area from "Good Egg" to "Good Food", in order to keep up with the times.

When farmers face a choice at the forthcoming general election, they will see, if only from this debate, that the Labour party is willing to turn an Agricultural Crisis to party advantage.

They both said that the Labourparty was turning an Agricultural Crisis into narrow party advantage.

She will understand the acute anxieties felt by farmers in my constituency - be they beef, dairy or arable farmers - about the Current Agricultural Crisis.

Will he intervene to avoid Another Agricultural Crisis?

He tells me that the basis of rural life is in question because of the Agricultural Crisis.

What is unique about the Present Agricultural Crisis is that it has an impact on all sectors: sheep, milk, cattle, corn - the lot.

Will the Minister admit that his first 12 months of stewardship of agriculture have led to the Biggest Agricultural Crisis for decades?

It states:What makes This Agricultural Crisis unique in modern times is that every sector has been affected.

In this time of Agricultural Crisis, I see some merit in the Government'sat least considering some assistance with the cost of veterinary inspection for those involved in animal husbandry.

That is the context of the Agricultural Crisis.

The impact of the Agricultural Crisis on all sectors of the Welsh agricultural economy is slightly different, and problems will be tackled differently from those in East Anglia, where substantial farmers farm in a totallydifferent way.

The trouble is that in a year's time, it will be too late for many agricultural businesses, for many businesses that derive their income from agriculture and for many general businesses that will see the Agricultural Crisis coming home to roost in many of the rural areas that Opposition Members represent.

The replies by the Leader of the House this morning and speeches this week by senior members of the Government show a chronic misunderstanding and grotesque underestimation of the Agricultural Crisis.

Does the Minister understand the impression that that will give to farmers, who are in the middle of an Agricultural Crisis, and who need the support from, and the face-to-face contact with, excellent MAFF officials?

Our Assembly colleagues tried to sort out the Agricultural Crisis by introducing a calf-processing scheme and attempting to assist farmers but, every time that they have tried to help, they have been hampered by people in this place.

My constituency is not primarily an agricultural one, but I have pig producers and farmers in it, and they have been desperately hard hit by the Agricultural Crisis affecting the whole country.

It has convinced them that the Agricultural Crisis is extremely real and that urgent assistance needs to be provided.

Mr. Beith: I would be out of order if I strayed too far into the wider issues of the Agricultural Crisis that our countryside faces, but I wish to press the Minister to make it clear to Barclays, perhaps through his ministerial colleagues who appear to have regular discussions with the banks, that the Government see the need for the bank to offer a breathing space to communities and allow time for consultation before closures.

It is all the more important at the present time when rural Britain is in a state of Agricultural Crisis and transition.

Several noble Lords have said that tourism offers no solution to the Agricultural Crisis.

Millions--indeed, billions--of pounds will be flung at the Current Agricultural Crisis, just as billions were flung at BSE.

It is regrettable that he has not participated in the debate, not least because the motion and the amendment make clear that there are two sides to the outbreak: the Agricultural Crisis and the wider crisis.

What started as an Agricultural Crisis has quickly developed into a rural crisis, and now foot and mouth disease is affecting almost every region in the country, with tourism most badly hit.

There is much talk on the back of this most Recent Agricultural Crisis about a switch from agricultural production to environmental schemes.

The press release that accompanied that announcement stated that, "The move is part of a wider organisational review aimed at boosting the way the trust's 4,000 staff and 40,000 volunteers carry out the charity's diverse work - from preserving historic buildings and monuments to helping its tenant farmers weather the Current Agricultural Crisis".

The Agricultural Crisis that has hit this country, particularly areas that depend on stock raising, is the fundamental issue that must be dealt with.

Let me cite two random examples: the NHS is spending more than £1 million a year on an equality unit, while in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 10 people who could be sorting out the Agricultural Crisis are manning a diversity unit.