To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much liquid milk was imported into the UK in (a) 1997, (b) 2000 and (c) 2008. (261566)

[holding answer 6 March 2009]: Liquid milk imports are shown in the following table. Liquid milk is imported into the UK in two forms, as raw milk for processing by dairies in the UK, or as liquid drinking milk (e.g. pasteurised or UHT milk).

Most imports of raw milk come from the Republic of Ireland for processing by dairies in Northern Ireland.