§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food further to paragraph 9 of Cmnd. 6003—"Membership of the European Community-Report on Renegotiation"—what steps have been taken to relate the price of dairy products to the need of efficient producers; and if he will publish (i) the average or representative price paid per gallon in the 163W market place for milk production quotas each year since quotas were introduced, (ii) the current price and (iii) the average production of milk per cow.
§ Mr. JackThe Government have consistently pressed for reductions in CAP support prices for dairy products. Since 1988 the intervention prices for butter and skimmed milk powder have been reduced by 13 per cent. and 2 per cent. respectively.
The Department does not collect information on milk quota prices. That information may be obtained from the agricultural trade press and quota agents.
The average annual milk yield per cow in the United Kingdom since quotas were introduced is as follows:
Year Production Litres 1984 4,748 1985 4,881 1986 4,974 1987 4,896 1988 4,975 1989 4,996 1990 5,160 1991 5,139 1992 5,251 1993 (provisional) 5,034 Source:
Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993.