HC Deb 22 July 1974 vol 877 cc315-7W
Mr. Eldon Griffiths

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if, in view of the statement by his Under-Secretary of State that cheaper food can be imported from overseas than from the EEC, he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the food-

£ per long ton
Butter New Zealand German French
First hand price for packet butter on the London Provision Exchange, week-ending 12th July … … … … 554 560 595–646
Notes:
(i) The New Zealand price includes a special EEC levy currently of £74 net.
(ii) The German and French prices are net of a subsidy through compensatory amounts.

£ per long ton
Cheese New Zealand Irish Dutch French
First hand price for cheddar-type cheese on the London Provision Exchange, week-ending 12th July … … … … … 600 682 670–755 720
Notes:
(i) The New Zealand price includes a special EEC levy currently of £213 net.
(ii) The Irish, Dutch and French prices are net of a subsidy through compensatory amounts.

Lamb. The United Kingdom market is mainly supplied by New Zealand and domestic production. The latest available price—15th July—at Smithfield for frozen New Zealand lamb averaged 24p

arrangements made between a specific mill and its suppliers. The import data are:

stuffs he has in mind and the prices at which they are at present delivered to British ports as compared with prices for similar foodstuffs brought in from the EEC.

Mr. Shore

The main food commodities which at the moment can be imported from third countries more cheaply than from other members of the EEC even after payment of the charges currently being levied as a result of our entry into the EEC are butter, cheese, beef and lamb. A few other food items, for example lemons, grapes and onions, are also competitively available at present from outside the EEC. But direct comparisons are difficult because of quality differences. Curren cif prices at British ports for beef, butter, lamb and cheese are not available, but the following price comparisons may be taken as a guide:

per pound. Following our entry into the EEC this lamb has borne a transitional tariff of 8 per cent. ad valorem plus £0.5601 per cwt., approximately 2 per cent. ad valorem. The full rate of the Community tariff is 20 per cent. ad valorem.

Beef. Because of the different presentations in which meat is supplied precisely comparable prices are not available for imports from EEC and non-EEC countries. However, at the moment, for example, chilled boneless rump from the Argentine—after payment of import charges on imports into the United Kingdom as a result of our entry into the EEC of the order of 6p per lb plus 8 per cent. on the landed price—compares favourably with beef from the Republic of Ireland.