§ 8. Mr. Wigginasked the President of the Board of Trade what are the present tariff arangements for imported strawberries.
§ Mrs. Gwyneth DunwoodyThe full and E.F.T.A. rates of import duty on fresh strawberries are 37s. 4d. per cwt. from 1st to 9th June, 56s. from 10th June to 31st July, and 10 per cent. for the rest of the year. Strawberries from the Commonwealth preference area are duty-free.
§ Mr. WigginIs the hon. Lady aware of the very great damage to the early strawberry market which is being caused by air-freighted imports at the height of their season? Would she look into this?
§ Mrs. DunwoodyIt would be in everybody's interests, of course, if British growers could get their fruit on the market as early as possible, but in many cases they have the advantage of being something which the consumer is interested in buying. Of course, their prices are better than those for French imported strawberries.