HC Deb 22 May 1969 vol 784 c129W
Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the sterling value of imported Temperate food for each month of 1969, and for the corresponding months of 1968.

Mr. Hoy

The values of imports of those foods and feedingstuffs of a kind which can be produced in this country, for each of the first three months of 1968 and 1969, are as follows:—

£ million c.i.f.
1968 1969
January 94 97
February 80 86
March 87 92 (provisional)

About half this increase is attributable to higher import prices and the other half to a rise in volume—chiefly of beef as a result of increase of beef imports from the low levels in the first quarter of 1968 when beef imports were curtailed because of the foot-and-mouth epidemic.