asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what steps he is taking to protect the consumer against price rises for butter.

The price of butter in the United Kingdom is largely determined by the intervention price set by the EEC Council of Agriculture Ministers. The Council is meeting today under the chairmanship of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to discuss the level of support prices for farm produce for the coming marketing year. I shall be attending this fleeting myself later this afternoon.