§ Lord Gallacherasked Her Majesty's Government:
What tonnages of sweet cream salted butter and unsalted lactic butter are sold annually in the United Kingdom and what proportion of each is sold in different regions of the United Kingdom.
§ Lord BelsteadDetailed information on sales of sweet cream salted butter and unsalted lactic butter is not available. But it is estimated that approximately 18 per cent. of the estimated 250,000 tonnes of butter consumed in the United Kingdom in 1986 was unsalted or slightly-salted lactic butter. Not all of this will necessarily have been sold for household use. I understand that unsalted butters are preferred in the North-East of England and are also popular in Yorkshire and Scotland.