§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware of the statement by Mr. Rob Tazelaar of the EEC Sugar Division to the effect that the refining capacities of the British Sugar Corporation made a big expansion of the United Kingdom's beet acreage impossible; and what his policy is towards the matters raised in the statement, in the light of the corporation's known plans for increasing capacity.
§ Mr. PeartI understand that the British Sugar Corporation's existing capacity is sufficient to process beet from 488,000 acres, rather more than is currently planted and equivalent to over 1 million tons of sugar. The corporation's present programme for the reconstruction of its factories will increase this capacity by444W about 40,000 acres or 85,000 tons of sugar, and the corporation says that, given a satisfactory price structure, it could expand the programme to process beet from a total of some 600,000 acres, equivalent to 1.25 million tons of sugar. I am taking steps to see that officials of the EEC Commission are aware of these facts.