HC Deb 09 April 1975 vol 889 cc414-5W
Mrs. Winifred Ewing

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish details of the easing of the EEC's beef imports ban and its effects on the United Kingdom.

Mr. Bishop:

I have been asked to reply.

Details of a scheme for easing import restrictions on beef exported to the EEC from certain countries which have signed the Lomé Convention are set out in Regulation (EEC) No. 780/75. This regulation came into force on 27th March 1975. For the United Kingdom it will have the effect of allowing access to our market for up to 12,800 metric tons of beef from Botswana and Swaziland in 1975. Those two countries are traditional suppliers of beef to the United Kingdom; the trade is of considerable importance to their economies and contributes towards meeting our requirements for imported beef.

Plans for easing the Community's beef import restrictions on a wider scale are being explored, but no decisions have been taken.