HC Deb 12 June 1986 vol 99 cc486-7
7. Teddy Taylor

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total sum spent by the European Economic Community on the storage and disposal of food and wine surpluses in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available, expressed in pounds sterling; and what was the comparable total five years previously.

Mr. Gummer

Expenditure by the European Community in 1985 on the storage and disposal of products in structural surplus, that is cereals, sugar, milk products, beef and wine, was about £7.3 billion. The comparable figure for 1980 was about £4.7 billion, or, if inflation is taken into account, £6.8 billion.

Mr. Taylor

Is it not a criminal waste of public funds that £150 million is now being spent by the Common Market every week on dumping, disposing of or destroying food surpluses? Is that expenditure not a shameful insult to every health authority and school authority, and to the old-age pensioners and unemployed of Britain, who could use the money much better?

Mr. Gummer

It is certainly not a sensible way to spend money. It is the Government's purpose to ensure that surpluses are pulled down while farm incomes are at least protected and that we are able to have what ought to be the triumph of agriculture, which is that we are able to feed our people, not turned into the sadness of agriculture because there is too much.

Mr. John

When the Minister's right hon. Friend says that Mr. Adriesson has estimated that in five years' time cereal surpluses will rise to 80 million tonnes, which is a fivefold increase on their present size, does he not think that this time the Agriculture Council should do other than mull over generalities and get down to solving the problem?

Mr. Gummer

The hon. Gentleman must accept that that is what would happen if we did nothing, and that the Agriculture Council has already done a great deal, but nothing like enough. I am, therefore, pleased to note his support for the measures that we are trying to take and trying to get the Council to take to ensure that we achieve solutions. The fact is that the CAP, like the previous system in this country, was based on the principle that the major problem was a shortage of food. Contrary to everything that the experts say, we now have a world in which we have too much food. Changing the system is not the easiest thing in the world.

Mr. Harris

May I press my right hon. Friend a little further on cereal surpluses? Does he agree that the only test of a successful policy is whether a small amount goes into intervention? Will he confirm that the prospects for the coming year are that a larger amount will go into intervention?

Mr. Gummer

I would not wish to make any prognostication about how much will go into intervention. The fact is that China, India and other countries which used to need our food surpluses are now exporting food. In those circumstances, it is a scandal that we have more and more intervention stores and grain, and we must change that.