§ 11. Mr. PawseyTo ask the Minister of AGriculture, Fisheries and Food what further action he intends to take to increase sales of British meat and other British farm products.
§ Mr. CurryI shall take every opportunity to encourage the farming and food industries to seize on market opportunities at home and abroad.
§ Mr. PawseyI thank my hon. Friend for that helpful reply. Does he agree that the quality and variety of British food is among the best in the world, that it represents excellent value to the British housewife and that it creates and sustains thousands of British jobs? Will he redouble his efforts, therefore, to promote British food in the United Kingdom through not only the media, women's institutes and townswomen's guilds but through the education service, the thousands of schools and the national curriculum? I am sure that our right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education would be only too pleased to assist.
§ Mr. CurryI agree entirely with my hon. Friend. We export a third of all our lamb. Pork exports are 44 per cent. up, beef exports are 14 per cent. up and lamb exports are 24 per cent. up. We are conquering the overseas market. It is important, however, that we conquer our own market, which is what the marketing initiative is designed to do. All my colleagues in the Ministry spend much time promoting British products in the United Kingdom, and with two such stalwart promoters of British food as my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and Cordelia Gummer I do not see how we can fail.
§ Mr. McGradyIs the Minister aware that the market for potatoes, especially those from Northern Ireland, has totally collapsed? It is the final nail in the coffin of a disastrous season for potatoes. The industry requires emergency action. Will he make representations for some relief from the EC, because the industry and its associated outlets has totally collapsed due to weather and market conditions? In the meantime, will he introduce relief under a stock feed scheme for potatoes?
§ Mr. CurryI understand the problems that the potato industry in Northern Ireland is facing. The hon. Gentleman probably knows that the southern Irish request for emergency aid has been turned down by Brussels. Therefore, I do not think that that avenue offers a realistic opportunity for success, but I am willing to discuss all the industry's problems with its representatives in Northern Ireland, and Northern Ireland Ministers have listened to what the hon. Gentleman said.