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European Community Marketing

Volume 892: debated on Thursday 22 May 1975

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asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much of each kind of food has been disposed of by or on the authority of the Commission, outside the EEC in each of the years 1970–74 and in 1975 to date; what in each case was the average cost and the effective return per ton sold; and what was the United Kingdom share of the cost in 1973 and 1974, respectively.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much was spent by the EEC in 1973 and 1974, respectively, on ensuring that food production in the EEC for human consumption was used for other purposes and on removing food from the market to keep up prices, respectively; and how this amount compares with the cost of sending surpluses of food to countries with food shortage.

I regret that no information is available on the expenditure on denaturing premiums and other relevant aids given in respect of food produced for human consumption as distinct from those given in respect of agricultural commodities produced for other purposes. Expenditure on taking food into public intervention is intially borne by member States, but FEOGA provides reimbursement at standard rates for the handling and storage costs and the interest on the capital value of the stock in intervention. It also meets any losses incurred by member States when any stock is sold. Details of this FEOGA expenditure are not available as the Commission includes it as part of more general intervention expenditure. Since this information is not available no comparison can be made with the cost of sending surpluses of food to countries with food shortages.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made by the EEC in the food field since the United Kingdom joined the Common Market in contributing in the common interest to the progressive abolition of restrictions on international trade and the lowering of customs barriers.

The enlargement of the Community means that by the end of the transitional period there will be free trade in foodstuffs between the nine member States. The substantial progress made since United Kingdom accession in improving access and lowering tariffs on foodstuffs from outside the Community, in particular from the Commonwealth and developing countries, is described in paragraph 77 of the White Paper reporting on the renegotiation (Cmnd. 6003).