§ Mr. Molyneauxasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a statement about cereal prices in Northern Ireland since 1st February 1973; and whether he expects any change to take place before 1st August.
§ Mr. Peter MillsThe production of cereals in Northern Ireland is relatively small and very little of the 1972 crop remains on farms. On 1st February 1973, the recorded market price of locally grown barley was £40.84 per ton. In290W mid-April, the small quantity on offer was selling at £38.23 per ton. Little or no wheat or oats is grown for sale.
Prices within the United Kingdom are supported by the Cereals Deficiency Payments Scheme, which provides guaranteed average prices for the crops harvested in 1972 and 1973, and by the common agricultural policy for cereals, which includes import levies and intervention arrangements.
It is not possible to forecast with any precision the movement in grain prices between now and 1st August because of the many unpredictable factors that could affect world market prices.
§ Mr. Molyneauxasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the increase in the price of meat in Northern Ireland since 1st January 1972; and what estimate he can give of changes in food prices there in 1973 as a result of Common Market entry and of the lower rate of exchange for the £ sterling.
§ Mr. Peter MillsRetail meat prices in Northern Ireland are not recorded separately from those in the rest of the United Kingdom. However, the average auction price of fat cattle in Northern Ireland has increased from £12.04 per live cwt. in the week ending 8th January 1972 to £18.77 per live cwt. in the week ending 14th April 1973. Over the same period the average auction price of fat sheep has increased from 20.98p per lb. to 34.10p per lb. and the Pigs Marketing Board producer price from £2.57 per score deadweight to £3.56 per score deadweight.
It is not possible to make a precise estimate of the effect on food prices in Northern Ireland in 1973 of entry to the EEC and a lower rate of exchange of the £ sterling, but the effect is unlikely to be significantly different from that on food prices in the United Kingdom as a whole.