Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest figures for the consumption and production of eggs in Great Britain;282W what were the figures for production and consumption 12 months prior to that date; and if he will make a statement on the future of egg production in Great Britain.
§ Mr. GummerThe latest available data are as follows: Consumption of eggs in Great Britain for the second quarter of 1989 was 2.41 eggs per person per week per household (source: National Food Survey). The egg packing survey shows throughput by packing stations in Great Britain for the four weeks ending 1 October totalling 2,149 thousand boxes. These figures compare with equivalent figures for 1988 of 2.74 eggs per person per week for household consumption of eggs and 2,384 thousand boxes for throughput at packing stations in Great Britain.
Our comprehensive package of measures to combat the risk of salmonella in eggs should enable consumer confidence in eggs to be restored and our egg market to strengthen to the benefit of producers.