§ 28. Mr. Tierneyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what foodstuffs are now being purchased by the Intervention Board.
§ 30. Mr. Molloyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what stocks of food are held by the Intervention Board.
§ 36. Mr. Dan Jonesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what stock of food are now being held in storage by the Intervention Board or 224W private storers on behalf of the Intervention Board.
§ Mr. BishopThe board has not purchased any foodstuffs since March 1974.
The board at present holds 176 tons of beef, 526 tons of butter and 27,430 tons of skimmed milk powder purchased before that date.
The board also pays a contribution from EEC funds towards storage costs for private storage of beef and of butter at certain times of the year. At the moment just under 30,000 tons of butter and a very small quantity of beef are registered for this form of grant aid.
§ 37. Mr. Fernyhoughasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in the interests of keeping down food prices, he will now suspend the activities of the Intervention Board.
§ Mr. BishopThe functions of the Intervention Board cover the whole range of the guarantee aspects of the common agricultural policy of the EEC, including domestic subsidies and refunds on imports from other EEC countries. It would not, therefore, be in the national interest to suspend them. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food made it clear in his statement to the House on 19th June that we were proposing major changes in Ole intervention system of the common agricultural policy.