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Intervention Board (Disposal Policy)

Volume 21: debated on Friday 2 April 1982

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asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his reply of 29 March stating that the British Intervention Board had destroyed or otherwise disposed of 161,000 tons of food or fish, he will find out from the European Economic Community Commission how much food, fish and wine was destroyed or otherwise disposed of by each of the other member States of the European Economic Community in 1981; and if he will publish the figures in the Official Report.

I have asked the Commission for the information requested, and shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his reply of 29 March, he will publish a table showing the total amounts of food and fish destroyed or otherwise disposed of in each of the 10 years prior to 1981.

The following table gives the figures from 1973 being the year in which the United Kingdom began to operate the common agricultural policy of the European Community:

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

Total

Breadmaking Wheat

destroyed
otherwise disposed of2,2202,220

Apples

destroyed493576,6018,04015,047
otherwise disposed of52484,0462,1126,411

Pears

destroyed232,9156952,193
otherwise disposed of2387196585

Tomatoes

destroyed
otherwise disposed of15152

Cauliflowers

destroyed2355,9768127,023
otherwise disposed of61701221477776

Fish

destroyed16914644275421,162
otherwise disposed of5,61412,53426,40033,9758,3962,55232,203121,674

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement outlining the methods by which 12,636 tons of apples were destroyed in Great Britain in 1981 by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce or its agents; and how the board satisfied itself that the apples were actually destroyed.

In the United Kingdom, apples withdrawn from the market are ploughed in or dumped in approved refuse tips. The operations are witnessed and supervised.

asked the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food if he will describe the ways in which around 50,000 tons of fish were destroyed or otherwise disposed of in 1981.

Fish withdrawn from the human consumption market in 1981 were destroyed or otherwise disposed of in the following ways:

tonnes
Destroyed (by dumping at sea)1,297
Otherwise disposed of as fish meal47,144
Otherwise disposed of as pet food901
Total49,342