§ 38. Mr. Crouchasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantity of tinned beef has been imported from European countries during each of the last three years; from which countries it came; and what quantities came from each.
Mr. AmoryAs the reply contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. CrouchHas my right hon. Friend any evidence that cattle exported to Communist countries are sent back to this country a few months later in the form of tinned and various other types of cooked food?
Mr. AmoryI do not think there is evidence of this. France, which has taken the bigger proportion of these exported cattle, has sent back to us in the form of imports in 1956 rather less than half the quantity she sent in 1955, when there was no export of fat cattle to France.
§ Following are the figures:
| UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS OF BEEF IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINERS FROM EUROPEAN COUNTRIES DURING THE YEARS 1954, 1955 AND 1956 | ||||
| Country of origin | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | |
| tons | tons | tons | ||
| Norway | … | — | 1 | 2 |
| Denmark | … | 103 | 18 | 43 |
| Netherlands | … | 204 | 83 | 100 |
| Belgium | … | 64 | 15 | 1 |
| France | … | 2,660 | 977 | 458 |
| Switzerland | … | 1 | — | — |
| Czechoslovakia | … | 3 | — | — |
| Yugoslavia | … | — | — | 25 |
| Total | … | 3,035 | 1,094 | 629 |
| Irish Republic | … | 10,390 | 12,398 | 10,114 |
| Total | … | 13,425 | 13,492 | 10,743 |