§ Mr. Geraint Howellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what was the value of New Zealand lamb imports into the United Kingdom in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978, and to the latest available date in the current year; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what is his policy in relation to the import of lamb from New Zealand; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerThe value of United Kingdom imports of New Zealand lamb in these years was as follows:
£'000 (cif) 1975 114,896 1976 120,624 1977 150,483 1978 162,985 1979 (January-August) 125,240
Year Income Expenditure Surplus/Deficit £ £ £ 1975–76 6,468,771 9,571,588 -3,102,817 1976–77 8,502,475 10,752,104 -2,249,629 1977–78 12,262,915 10,686,108 +1,576,807 1978–79 11,576,175 10,972,504 +603,671 1979–80 Not yet available Similar information relating to heavy goods vehicle driver testing is as follows:—
546W
Year Income Expenditure Surplus/Deficit £ £ £ 1975–76 451,355 1,668,500 -1,217,145 1976–77 972,076 1,492,941 -520,865 1977–78 1,299,175 1,437,644 -138,469 1978–79 1,517,870 1,465,371 +52,499 1979–80 Not yet available The United Kingdom also imports some mutton from New Zealand, worth £8,577,000 in 1978.
I have repeatedly made clear that we wish to maintain our trading links with New Zealand and to preserve our supplies of frozen lamb from that country. We will not agree to any arrangement for a common organisation for sheepmeat which does not respect the Community's GATT obligations or which fails to provide for unhindered access of adequate quantities of New Zealand lamb to the United Kingdom market.