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Sugar

Volume 977: debated on Monday 21 January 1980

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asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the Council of Ministers to reach a decision on the EEC Commission's proposals for a reduction in sugar quotas.

The new sugar regime is due to come into force on 1 July 1980 but I hope agreement will be reached before then.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much sugar produced in the EEC was subsidised for export outside the EEC, in each of the last three years.

The quantities of Community sugar exported to third countries with the aid of export refunds in the last three years were:

Million tonnes (white sugar equivalent)
October-September:
1976–771·477
1977–782·700
1978–792·410
Source: EEC Commission.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the United Kingdom's current EEC sugar production quota; to what level the EEC Commission proposes that it should be reduced; how much of this quota was fulfilled in 1979; and how much is expected to be fulfilled in the current year.

The current maximum quota is 1·326 million tonnes of white sugar made up of 1·04 million tones "A" quota plus 0·286 million tones "B" quota. The Commission's proposal is that it should be reduced to a maximum of 0·936 million tonnes all of which would be "A" quota; there would be no "B" quota.In 1978–79, the United Kingdom produced 1·022 million tonnes. The 1979–80 campaign is not yet complete but the British Sugar Corporation Ltd. estimates that production will be 1·1 million tonnes or slightly more.