asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is able to give an assessment of the benefits gained for the British consumer from the agricultural policies which have been pursued as a result of United Kingdom entry to the EEC.
I cannot provide an overall assessment, because there is no way of knowing how prices for imported and home produced food would have moved if we had not joined the EEC. For particular details of the merits which the Government's agricultural policies have brought to the consumer I would refer the hon. Member to the many references made by my right hon. Friend on this subject, for example those in his report to the House on the outcome of the meeting of the Council of Ministers (Agriculture) on 25th–26th April.—[Vol. 930, c. 1234–53.1
| Commodity | White Paper Table No. | Production | 1974–75 | 1976–77 forecast | Percentage change | |
| Beef and veal | 14 | Thousand tonnes | … | 1,165 | 1,038 | -11 |
| Mutton and lamb | 14 | Thousand tonnes | … | 252 | 252 | — |
| Pigmeat | 14 | Thousand tonnes | … | 902 | 811 | -10 |
| Poultrymeat | 14 | Thousand tonnes | … | 622 | 675 | +8½ |
| Eggs | 17 | Million dozen | … | 1,138 | 1,126 | -1 |
| Milk (output for human consumption) | 15 | Million litres | … | 13,364 | 13,817 | +3½ |
| Butter | 16 | Thousand tonnes | … | 51 | 82 | +61 |
| Cheese | 16 | Thousand tonnes | … | 225 | 221 | -2 |
| Wheat | 7 | Thousand tonnes | … | 6,130 | 4,800 | -21½ |
| Barley | 7 | Thousand tonnes | … | 9,133 | 7,760 | -15 |
| Potatoes | 9 | Thousand tonnes | … | 6,791 | 4,596 | -32½ |