THE NATION'S FOOD SUPPLY. 133 



Of the imports which are classed in the Trade Returns as 

 " grain and flour," amounting in all to nearly 76,000,000, 

 when we have dealt with wheat and flour (44,000,000) not 

 very much of the remainder comes under our definition 

 of food. Including rice, farinaceous preparations, oat- 

 meal, and one or two smaller items, I think that, allowing 

 for exports, 4,000,000 will cover all that we need take 

 into account. 



In quantity bread is much the largest item of our food 

 bill, but in value meat greatly exceeds it. Our carni- 

 vorous tastes are fairly catholic, though for some not 

 very logical reason we reject horseflesh, but we retain 

 our traditional predilection for beef, which (including veal) 

 constitutes about 44 per cent, of our total meat consump- 

 tion ; mutton and lamb constituting about 23 per cent., 

 and pig-meat about 33 per cent. Imports comprise live 

 animals from Canada and the United States, and dead 

 meat from various sources, the principal being Argentina, 

 Denmark, Holland, the United States, Australia, Canada, 

 and New Zealand. The home production of beef, veal, 

 mutton, lamb, and pig-meat I estimate at about 28,000,000 

 cwts. This includes the output of farms in Great Britain 

 and Ireland, with an estimate for the amount of pig-meat 

 produced by allotment holders, cottagers and private 

 persons whose pigs are not included in the agricultural 

 returns. The chief sources of our meat supply, and the 

 quantities forthcoming in 1911 and in the quinquennium 

 1907-11, are shown in the table on p. 134. 



In terms of value the proportions would be considerably 

 altered. The total imports of meat, including lard, 

 amounted in 1911 to 52,000,000, of which 40,500,000 

 came from foreign countries and 11,500,000 from British 

 possessions. This sum is made up partly of the value of 

 animals landed alive and partly of meat imported in the 

 carcass. Exports of meat amount to about 2,000,000. 

 The valuation of the home meat supply is a difficult matter. 

 On the whole, the most satisfactory method is to take the 



