To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an estimate of the number of people employed in the United Kingdom food manufacturing and processing industry in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement concerning Government policy towards that industry.
Our main objective is, through for example financial and other support for Food From Britain, to encourage the food industry to take the fullest advantage of the opportunities being opened up by the completion of the Single European Market at the end of 1992.Available figures of numbers of people employed in the industry are shown below.
| Food manufacturing and processing industry1 | |
| Numbers of persons employed: Great Britain2 | |
| Year3 | Number of persons |
| 1979 | 4554,000 |
| 1980 | 4554,000 |
| 1981 | 515,000 |
| Year3 | Number of persons |
| 1982 | 494,000 |
| 1983 | 466,000 |
| 1984 | 454,000 |
| 1985 | 456,000 |
| 1986 | 448,000 |
| 1987 | 450,000 |
| 1988 | 453,000 |
| 1989 | 460,000 |
| 1990 | 466,000 |
Source: Department of Employment.
1 Figures exclude drink manufacture.
2 Detailed figures not available for Northern Ireland nor for self-employed persons.
3 Totals shown relate to June of each year.
4 The standard industrial classification for this industry was amended with effect from 1981, and statistics for 1979 and 1980 are thus not strictly comparable with those for subsequent years.