§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the latest farm price review will, in normal circumstances, increase or decrease the structural surpluses of the common agricultural policy.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerAs I explained in my statement in the House on 19 May, the United Kingdom did not agree to the agricultural prices package decided upon in the 25W Council on 18 May and, had the normal process of negotiation continued, we would have continued to seek lower price increases for a number of products, including milk, cereals and Mediterranean products.
The institutional price increases decided for cereals and sugar were below the expected rate of inflation in the Community and in my view are unlikely to add to surplus production.
For milk and milk products the common price increases were at about the expected inflation rate and, while there is an underlying trend to increases in milk yields, it is not possible to forecast the level of surplus production next year with any confidence.
The package included production thresholds for milk, cereals, rapeseed and processed tomatoes. These are designed to lead to a reduction in the level of support in the year following that in which production exceeds the
Item and CCT No. Total import levy*† Total import levy*† Difference as at 19 May 1982 (including MCA) as at 3 June 1982 (including MCA) Pence/Lb Pence/Lb Pence/Lb Common wheat (10.01B1) 2.98 3.30 +0.32 Barley (10.03) 2. 59 2. 54 -0.05 Maize (10.05B) 2.86 2.90 +0.04 Butter 82–84 per cent. fat content (04.03A)‡ 46.31 52.92 +6.61 Cheddar cheese (04.04EIblbb) 49.18 57.41 +8.23 Skimmed milk powder (04.02AIIbl) 18.52 22.08 +3.56 White sugar (17.01A) 9.53 10.01 +0.48 Boneless frozen beef (02.01AIIb4bb33) 67.26 82.90 +15.64 Lard (15.01AII) 3.42 3.42 0 Pigmeat carcasses (02.01AIIIal)║ 3.42 3.42 0 Salted bacon sides (02.06BIa2aa) 16.14 15.78 -0.36 Eggs (04.05AIb) 8.00 7.95 -0.05 Poultry meat 70 per cent. chickens (02.02AIb)¶ 7.79 7.77 -0.02 Lamb carcasses (02.01AIVb1) ●NA ●NA ●NA Footnotes: * Conversion from European Currency Units into sterling has been made using the representative rate 1 ECU=£0.618655, and multiplying the resultant figure by the appropriate Monetary Coefficient. † Total import levy = common levy plus monetary compensatory amount. ‡ There is a special rate for New Zealand butter. ║ Does not include a supplementary levy which at present applies only to imports from german Democratic Republic, Norway and Finland. ¶ Does no include a supplementary levy which at present applies only to imports from Spain. ● The levy on imported sheep and sheepmeat is subject to a ceiling of 10 per cent. cif value under voluntary restraint agreements negotiated with major supplying countries.