§ Mr. Nicholas BrownTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will state(a) the latest European Commission estimate for the amount, in tonnes, of (i) apples, (ii) tomatoes, (iii) cauliflowers and (iv) peaches and nectarines withdrawn from the market per year as part of the European Community's market intervention and (b) the cost of this policy per taxpayer in the United Kingdom, breaking this figure down into (1) the running costs of the policy and (2) the amount which the policy adds on to food prices.
§ Mr. JackThe following are the latest estimates from the European Commission of the amounts of produce withdrawn within the Community for the 1993–94 marketing year.
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Tonnes Apples 616,758 Tomatoes 47,630 Cauliflowers 27,809 Peaches 686,903 Nectarines 153,040 The Exchequer cost of CAP support of fresh fruit andvegetables in the United Kingdom is estimated at £2.8 million for the 1993–94 financial year. This represents 1 per cent. of total United Kingdom Exchequer cost of CAP support. The United Kingdom also contributes to the EC budget as a whole, which funds the cost of withdrawals of fresh fruit and vegetables in other member states.
It is not possible to make precise estimates of the consumer costs of the fresh fruit and vegetables support without making a large number of assumptions.