HL Deb 06 February 2001 vol 621 cc104-5WA
Viscount Allenby of Megiddo

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many litres of milk have been imported from France since 1 April 2000. [HL485]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman)

Provisional Overseas Trade Statistics show that 4.9 million litres of liquid milk were imported from France from 1 April to 31 October 2000, the latest month for which figures are available.

The latest figures, given in the table below, show that the quantity of milk imported from France, expressed as a proportion of UK production of raw milk in the period April to October 2000, was lower than in the same period of the previous year. The quantities of milk imported from France are very small, amounting to less than 0.1 per cent when compared to UK production.

Imports of milk from France1 million litres UK production of raw milk2 million litres % of French imports to UK production
Apr-Oct 1999 7.7 8,496 0.09%
Apr-Oct 20033 4.9 8,166 0.06%
1 Source: Overseas Trade Statistics.
2 Includes wholesale and direct sale milk production.

Source: Intervention Board, MAFF.

3 Provisional.

Viscount Allenby of Megiddo

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether milk imported from France meets the same standards in every respect as required for milk produced in the United Kingdom. [HL486]

Baroness Hayman

The European Union lays down rules on hygiene and composition for milk. Products must comply with these rules in order to be traded in the single market.

Over and above those rules, buyers may choose to apply stricter criteria based on commercial considerations.