§ 15. Mr. Watsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the United Kingdom is currently self-sufficient in dairy products.
§ Mr. MacGregorWe have for many years produced sufficient milk to supply the whole of our liquid market. Estimates prepared by the Milk Marketing Board indicate that in 1982 in respect of milk and milk products the United Kingdom was 91 per cent. self-sufficient in butterfat and 131 per cent. self-sufficient in solids-not-fat. Estimates for the level of self-sufficiency in future years are not available, but the trend has been for our self-sufficiency to increase.
§ Mr. WatsonI am grateful to my hon. Friend for confirming that Britain is not yet entirely self-sufficient in 1157 dairy products. Will he confirm that this year the incomes of dairy farmers have fallen by 41 per cent. in real terms from last year and that in those circumstances any EEC proposal that would seek to demand yet further sacrifices from British dairy farmers could only be regarded as highly unfair, to say the least?
§ Mr. MacGregorI can confirm that farm incomes are likely to be down this year, although I cannot confirm the figure, partly because of seasonal factors. The costs of disposing of the surplus of dairy products throughout the Community are large, and we have quite a supply of those surpluses. We must face that problem. It would be unrealistic to seek exemptions for the United Kingdom, because that would encourage a host of other requests for special treatment and we would not come out better from that exchange.