To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why it has not proved possible for the intervention board to make a successful tender for the supply of British beef to the armed services serving in the Gulf.

The intervention board is required to sell beef on terms laid down by the European Commission, generally by inviting tenders from meat traders. The board does not itself engage in submitting tenders for sale. The arrangements for the supply of beef to the Ministry of Defence entail the submission of tenders by wholesale meat suppliers. Officials of my Department are in contact with the Ministry of Defence to examine whether changes are possible to the various arrangements which would facilitate access to intervention stocks by Ministry of Defence suppliers.