§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the saving which could be made in the EEC budget if the return to the farmers were to be reduced to the level required to prevent any further increase in agricultural surpluses.
§ Mr. JoplingI have been asked to reply.
The relationships between support prices, producer returns, the level of production and budgetary cost are complex and are influenced by many factors which vary between the member states of the European Community. There could be major savings to the EC budget compared with what would otherwise be the case if farmers' returns for the commodities affected were reduced in the way outlined; but the precise saving would depend critically on the assumptions employed.