Catalogue description Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Wheat Commission

The main functions of the Wheat Commission, set up in 1932, were:- (a) to pay 'deficiency payments' to registered wheat growers on their sales of millable wheat, such payments representing (subject to a small deduction for administrative purposes) the difference between the standard price prescribed under the Act and the average market price obtained during any cereal year by all registered growers; and (b) to collect 'quota payments' from every miller and every importer of flour, on the basis of deliveries of flour by him, to provide the Fund (Wheat Fund) from which to defray the commission's expenditure.

The members of the commission were appointed jointly by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Secretaries of State concerned with Agriculture in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The commission originally consisted of a chairman and vice-chairman, five representatives of the growers of home-grown wheat, three of dealers in home-grown wheat, three of flour millers, one of flour importers and five of consumers of flour (including one bakers' representative). A representative of importers of wheat offals was added after the passing of the Wheat (Amendment) Act, 1939.

Decisions on the more important matters connected with the work of the commission were made by the full commission but to supervise the general run of the work the commission set up a number of committees from among the members. The principal ones were:- Finance, Quota Payments and General Purposes Committee, Wheat Certificates Committee, Establishment Committee, and the Authorisation of Merchants (Appeals) Committee.

The commission also appointed fifty-four Local Wheat Committees throughout the United Kingdom to assist them in the local administration of the Wheat Acts. These committees consisted of representatives of growers, corn merchants and flour millers serving in an honorary capacity. The committees made their own secretarial arrangements.

Under Part 1 of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous War Provisions) Act of 1940 an Executive Committee consisting of five of their members appointed by the commission was set up to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the commission during the period of suspension occasioned by the war.

After the 1939/40 cereal year prices of home-grown wheat were fixed under Orders made by the Minister of Food and this coupled with the control of flour mills and flour prices led to the cessation of the quota payments on flour as well as the deficiency payments on wheat under the Wheat Acts. The Executive Committee continued to carry out such functions as remained to the commission in keeping the organisation on a care and maintenance basis, pending Government decisions as to the future arrangements for assistance to wheat growers.

In 1956 the Government decided that the guarantee to cereal growers under the Agriculture Acts should continue to be implemented by a system of deficiency payments administered by the Agricultural Departments and financed by the Exchequer. (A temporary arrangement along these lines had operated from 1954). The decision meant that the Wheat Commission would no longer have any part to play in this field and it was accordingly dissolved and the Wheat Acts were repealed on 31st January, 1958 under Section 10 (4) of the Agriculture Act, 1957.