§ Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food how quickly consumer prices of food have risen over the last 10 years (a) for products covered by the common agricultural policy and (b) for products not covered by the common agricultural policy; and what proportion of increases noted under (a) he considers to be attributable to factors unrelated to the common agricultural policy itself.
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§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithBetween January 1971 and January 1981 food items in the retail price index rose by 293 per cent.
Separate information for products covered by the common agricultural policy and products not covered by it is not available. The effect of the common agricultural policy on food prices is currently estimated to be about 8 to 10 per cent, and it can therefore be deduced that roughly 90 per cent of the increase in food prices since January 1971 is attributable to factors unrelated to the common agricultural policy.