12. Mr. Wellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current level of cereals imports; and what percentage this is of total home usage.
§ Mr. BishopFrom August 1975 to July 1976 the total amount of cereals 615 imported into the United Kingdom was 8.423 million tonnes. This represented 39 per cent. of our total cereals usage.
§ Mr. BishopYes. The hon. Gentleman is right. He may have read page 9 of the document where we say:
The immediate prospect for higher output may therefore be mainly in feed grains, while research, development and other practical measures to raise the proportion of homegrown wheat in the bread grist should be pressed forward.Of course, production depends on weather and other reasons, but the hon. Gentleman will also be aware of the amount of work being done by the Government, the Ministry and private enterprise in increasing the yield of barley and other cereals, which is an important factor.
§ Mr. SpearingWill my hon. Friend tell the House the amount of money, in levies and taxes, imposed on the quantity of imported cereals that he quoted?
§ Mr. BishopMy hon. Friend may be interested to know that imports from third countries pay a levy—less the ACA—and receive a subsidy in the form of an MCA. The net effect of this can vary. But when world cereal prices are high the MCA can often cancel out the levy.