§ Mr. Tilleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the Council of Ministers to reach a decision on the EEC Commission's proposals for a reduction in sugar quotas.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe new sugar regime is due to come into force on 1 July 1980 but I hope agreement will be reached before then.
§ Mr. Tilleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much sugar produced in the EEC was subsidised for export outside the EEC, in each of the last three years.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe quantities of Community sugar exported to third countries with the aid of export refunds in the last three years were:
Million tonnes (white sugar equivalent) October-September: 1976–77 1.477 1977–78 2.700 1978–79 2.410 Source: EEC Commission.
§ Mr. Tilleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the United Kingdom's current EEC sugar 94W production quota; to what level the EEC Commission proposes that it should be reduced; how much of this quota was fulfilled in 1979; and how much is expected to be fulfilled in the current year.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe current maximum quota is 1.326 million tonnes of white sugar made up of 1.04 million tones "A" quota plus 0.286 million tones "B" quota. The Commission's proposal is that it should be reduced to a maximum of 0.936 million tonnes all of which would be "A" quota; there would be no "B" quota.
In 1978–79, the United Kingdom produced 1.022 million tonnes. The 1979–80 campaign is not yet complete but the British Sugar Corporation Ltd. estimates that production will be 1.1 million tonnes or slightly more.