§ Mr. Nicholas BennettTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total cost of putting produce into intervention in each of the past 10 years; and what percentage of(a) the European Community agricultural budget and (b) the total European Community budget these figures represent.
§ Mr. MacGregor[holding answer 17 December 1987]: The costs associated with purchases into intervention are borne by member states and are not available. The costs to the EC of storing intervention produce (including private storage) and reimbursing member states for losses on sale from intervention over the past 10 years were:
879W
Year Mecu £ million Per cent. of CAP budget Per cent. of total EC budget 1978 1,689 1,121 19 15 1979 1,654 1,074 15 12
Year Mecu £ million Per cent. of CAP budget Per cent. of total EC budget 1980 1,617 979 14 10 1981 1,631 908 14 9 1982 1,818 1,014 14 9 1983 2,893 1,697 17 12 1984 3,561 2,079 19 13 1985 4,427 2,603 22 16 1986 5,555 3,599 24 16 1987 3,948 2,761 16 10 Sources:
1978–1986—EAGGF Guarantee Annual Report
1987 EC budget-covers actual expenditure to end October 1987
Note: The full cost of disposing of surplus produce also includes other expenditure on export refunds, withdrawal and subsidies for disposal on the Community Market. Budget provision for this cost in 1987 amounted to some 17,390 mecu (£12,160) which is respectively 72 per cent. of the CAP budget and 48 per cent. of the total EC budget.