HC Deb 31 March 1980 vol 982 c39W
Mr. Skeet

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what has been the acreage used for tomato growing in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years;

(2) what was the tonnage of tomatoes imported into the United Kingdom for each of the past five years; what were the principal sources of supply; and what was the comparable production of the local industry in each of these years;

(3) what is the total annual consumption of tomatoes in the United Kingdom, and the percentage derived from imports.

Mr. Wiggin

Information on the area and the output of the United Kingdom crop, and the tonnage and proportion of imports, appears in table 11 of Cmnd. 7812—'Annual Review of Agriculture 1980'. Total United Kingdom consumption is indicated by the series for 'total new supply'. The principal sources of supply (apart from the Channel Islands) are the Canary Islands, mainland Spain, and the Netherlands.