§ Mr. Quentin DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the level of beef sales in Britain, and in each of the other EU countries on(a) 1 April and (b) the latest available date in each case. [30152]
§ Mrs. BrowningAccording to a consumer survey conducted on behalf of the Meat and Livestock Commission, overall household purchases for the four-week period ending 10 March were 19,561 tonnes valued at £90,519. This was the last consumer survey produced before the Minister's announcement on the 20 March. For the latest available four-week period ending on 22 September, overall household purchases of beef were 15,893 tonnes valued at £71,862.
For other member states, information on beef consumption is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that beef consumption in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and Holland, and across the EU, is well below normal levels.