HC Deb 20 March 1979 vol 964 cc545-6W
Mr. Lee

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make representations to the Common Market Commission to prevent any of the surplus of apples held as intervention stock from being disposed of in any way unfit for human consumption and to ensure that sales of such stock are not effected in any way detrimental to British and Commonwealth producers.

Mr. Bishop

Community support arrangements for apples, whereby producer groups may withdraw produce from the market when prices fall below pre-determined"safety-net"levels, already provide that such produce must be disposed of in ways designed to avoid further disruption of the market while also putting surpluses to the best possible use. Approved outlets thus include gifts to charities and schools and use for animal feed, but not storage. In this country every effort is made, whenever practicable, to dispose of produce for human consumption.

To avoid overloading the market, which would be in no one's interest, and increasing withdrawals as the result of depressed prices for Community producers, the Commission is discussing with southern hemisphere suppliers the possibility of some voluntary limitation of their supplies to the Community.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why the 2,600 tonnes of surplus apples withdrawn from the open market in Great Britain were destroyed; why he did not insist that they go to hospitals and schools as EEC rules dictate; and what he is doing to ensure that all future surpluses are offered to hospitals and schools and to housewives before Common Market subsidies are paid over to producers.

Mr. Strang

Community rules require that when compensation is to be paid on apples withdrawn from the market in times of glut the produce must be disposed of in ways designed to avoid further disruption of the market. Approved outlets include gifts to charities and schools but not to hospitals or housewives. Every effort is made to dispose of produce for human consumption or for feeding to livestock, but this is not always possible.