HC Deb 10 March 1980 vol 980 cc440-1W
Mr. Prescott

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the EEC withdrawal price for cod and haddock; and whether it is sufficient to guarantee a fair return for the industry on the quotas allowed.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

The EEC withdrawal prices for 1980 for cod and haddock range from £111 per tonne to £318 per tonne and from £85 per tonne to £230 per tonne respectively depending on the size and quality of the fish landed.

Withdrawal prices are derived from guide prices which are agreed yearly by the Council of Ministers and which take account of average first hand prices throughout the Community in earlier years. The withdrawal prices are intended to put a floor into the market rather than to provide the normal return to the industry.

Provision is made for producer organisations to set their own withdrawal prices at higher levels if they wish.