132 PRODUCTION 



>Q C 



net imports of poultry and eggs into Germany from all sources, 

 on an average of the years 1911-12, were valued at about 14 million 

 which represents a greater sum than that of the corresponding 

 imports into the United Kingdom in the same year. 



When animal feedstuff s are considered, it is again found that 

 the imports into Germany were considerably in excess of the 

 exports, the difference under this head (including the offals from 

 excess imports of food-cereals), amounting in value in the years 

 1911-12 to an average of about 55 million. 



It thus appears that in the years prior to 1914 Germany showed 

 a marked deficiency in both animal foodstuffs and animal feedstuffs, 

 and in this respect was second only to the United Kingdom. 1 The 

 position was becoming more marked every year with the growth 

 in the numbers and the purchasing power of the population. It is 

 true that in other kinds of agricultural produce Germany was 

 better able to supply its own needs from home sources than was 

 the United Kingdom ; indeed, in two articles, namely, alcohol 

 from potatoes, and sugar, there was a considerable exported surplus, 

 which, however, was by no means equal in value to the net imports 

 of food-cereals. Whatever the issue of the European War may be, 

 there is no doubt that Germany will be far from able to satisfy the 

 requirements of its population in animal foodstuffs in the future 

 from its own resources, unless the per capita consumption is re- 

 duced permanently to a much lower level than that existing prior 

 to the War. Sooner or later, according to the speed of recovery 

 from the effects of war, Germany will become a more extensive 

 purchaser of the world's exportable supplies of animal foodstuffs 

 than ever was the case in the past, and the serious competition 

 arising from Germany for a share of the available exports from the 

 surplus-producing countries will not be without its effects upon 

 trade and prices. 



(c) FRANCE. 



In the matter of all classes of foodstuffs taken together, France 

 is, on the whole, nearly self-sufficing, though figures of the import 

 and export trade since 1900 show a growing excess of net imports* 

 In animal foodstuffs there were constant, but not very considerable, 

 imports of meat and meat products 2 in addition to certain numbers 

 of live food animals imported from the Colonies. 8 On the other 

 hand, there have been considerable exports of dairy produce, 



1 See Table, p. 34, above. 



2 The annual imports of meat and meat products into France (mainly 

 from the United States) averaged about 100 million Ibs. for the period 1896- 

 1912. 



8 The most considerable item under this head has been the imports of sheep 

 from Algeria. More recently a trade has arisen from Madagascar, but owing 

 to the distance and the expenses of transportation, this trade tends to be 

 more in the form of dead meat than of live animals (Annales de Geographic, 

 March, 1916, pp. 92, 93). 



