Surplus Food and Drink (Hansard, 21 November 1991)

§ 1. Mr. Canavan
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total volume and value of surplus food and drink stocks in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the European Community.

§ The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. John Gummer)
We place volume figures in the Library each month. The latest values are £197 million in the United Kingdom and £2,297 million in the European Community.

§ Mr. Canavan
As the amount of surplus food is even greater than last year, will the Government ensure that at the forthcoming Maastricht summit a high priority is given to the eradication of the absurd and immoral common agricultural policy? Until that is done, will the Government adopt a more generous attitude towards pensioners and others on low incomes by distributing more of the surplus food to them, especially in the lead-up to the Christmas season?

§ Mr. Gummer
I note that the hon. Gentleman has signified his opposition to the Labour party's policy of abject surrender to the rest of Europe in a motion that he has signed. He has again pointed to the immense divisions in the Labour party on the subject of Europe. It would have been better if he had understood that this is not a subject for Maastricht. It is under immediate and continual discussion in the European Council of Agriculture Ministers, which is undertaking a wholesale reform of the common agricultural policy. That reform has been demanded by the Government and I intend to ensure that it is to the benefit of farmers, consumers and taxpayers alike.

§ Mr. Robert Banks
Will my right hon. Friend do all that he can to ensure that surplus food within the Community and outside is sent as quickly as possible to the Soviet Union and eastern European countries, where there are cases of terrible poverty and a shortage of foodstuffs? I should be grateful if he would do all that he can for them.

§ Mr. Gummer
My hon. Friend is right to point to the distinction between free enterprise in western Europe, where we have too much food, and to eastern Europe under the socialist system which has too little. We are trying to increase the amount of triangular trade, which enables the former socialist countries of eastern Europe to provide for the needs of the Soviet Union, as they used to do. We shall be funding that through the generous offers of the European Community and the bilateral offers that we have been making.

§ Mr. Ron Davies
Does the Minister agree that the MacSharry proposals, which are supposed to deal with the excesses of the common agricultural policy will, if accepted, breach the legally agreed budgetary guidelines for several years to come? Will the Minister continue to press in the Council for a reduction in commodity price support and in export restitutions? Will he also press for an 404 increase in resources diverted to environmental payments? Finally, will he give a firm guarantee to the House that he will veto any agreement that leads to a breach of those budgetary guidelines?

§ Mr. Gummer
I thank the hon. Gentleman for making those points, but I was surprised that he did not put first the fact that my duty is to fight to ensure that British farmers, taxpayers and consumers are not disadvantaged by the MacSharry proposals. The fact that the hon. Gentleman did not include that in his list shows that Labour Members have no interest in British farming and it betrays their total lack of farming policies.

§ Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman
Does my right hon. Friend accept that farmers in this country are pleased by his efforts to encourage triangular trade, thus stopping products from eastern Europe flooding and undermining the market in Britain?

§ Mr. Gummer
My hon. Friend would agree that we must make greater access available for eastern European products, but that they should be at a price that produces a significant return to enable eastern European countries to uphold the growth in their economies, rather than be used as a source of cheap imports, the profits going to the processors in western Europe. Triangular trade helps in that mix. I still want greater access, but I want it at a price that benefits the economies that we are trying to support.