HC Deb 13 January 1998 vol 304 cc184-5W
Mr. Gill

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the total United Kingdom consumption of beef and beef products was derived from home production in(a) 1972 and (b) 1997. [22489]

Mr. Rooker

Home fed production of beef and veal as a proportion of new supplies was 78 per cent. in 1972 and 77 per cent. in the 12 months to September 1997.

New supplies of beef and veal are defined as home fed production plus imports of carcase meat plus the meat equivalent of fat animals imported for direct slaughter minus exports of carcase meat minus the meat equivalent of live exports.

Mr. Gill

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the per capita consumption of beef and beef products in(a) 1972 and (b) 1997. [22488]

Mr. Rooker

Per capita consumption of beef, beef sausages and corned beef in Great Britain measured by purchases for consumption at home in the National Food Survey is given in the following table:

grams per person per week
Purchases of 1972 1996–971
Beef 195 109
Beef sausages 42 15
Corned beef 13 13
1 October 1996 to September 1997. Beef here includes a very small element of veal.

Data on the consumption of beef outside of the home and in the form of other processed products are not available. To help complete the picture, the table provides the total amount of beef available for domestic usage in 1996–97 and the nearest equivalent measure (total new supplies) for 1972–73. Domestic usage is derived as total UK production plus imports less exports and adjusted for stock changes. Total new supplies excludes the adjustment for stock changes.

United Kingdom 1972–73 1996–971
Total domestic usage of beef ('000 Tonnes) 21,173 840
1 October 1996 to September 1997.
2 Total new supplies in the period April 1972 to March 1973.

Total domestic usage and new supply figures are in carcase weight equivalent, whereas the per capita consumption estimates above relate to the actual weight purchased.

Mr. Gill

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average liveweight price of steers in(a) 1972 and (b) 1997. [22490]

Mr. Rooker

The average liveweight price of steers in Great Britain in 1997 was 97.5 p/kg. An equivalent price for 1972 is not available.

However, comparable figures for the United Kingdom for 1972 and 1997 are available for all clean cattle. In 1997, the average all clean cattle price was 95.4p/kg liveweight and in 1972 the average fat cattle market price was 30.3p/kg liveweight. The 1972 price relates to animals certified under the Fatstock Guarantee Scheme.