To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much in import tax was levied on New Zealand butter in (a) 2004, (b) 2005 and (c) 2006; and how much of the total was (i) retained by the UK authority and (ii) remitted to the European Union. (116495)

I have been asked to reply.

The amount of Customs Duty levied on imports of butter from New Zealand during the years specified was as follows:

Customs duties form part of the system of the European Communities’ Own Resources member states are allowed to retain, by way of collection costs, 25 per cent. of the amounts collected, the remaining 75 per cent. being transferred to the European Commission.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of import tax per kilo was on New Zealand butter in 2006; and for what reasons the tax was levied. (116496)

I have been asked to reply.

The EU has a system of import tariffs. There is a fixed tariff on butter. However, as a result of an agreement between New Zealand and the EU (negotiated initially at the time of the UK’s accession to the EEC), a current access quota allows New Zealand to import on an annual basis a set quantity of butter into the EU at a reduced tariff.

During 2006 some 42,397,648.81 kg of New Zealand butter with a value of £4,055,281.39 was declared in the UK. The Customs duty paid totalled £25,292,635.52 or an average of 0.88 euros paid per kilo, based on the net weight.