§ Mr. Spearingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will state the maximum permitted tonnages or acreages of sugar beet for each member of the EEC for each of the A, B, and C quotas for 1975; and what limits these are to the growing of off-quota beet at producers' risks in France;
(2) if he will tabulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT the total sugar beet quotas in tonnes for all member States of the EEC and the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1975, together with actual production.
§ Mr. BishopThe EEC sugar arrangements place no limit on the tonnage or acreage of sugar beet which may be grown. This is a matter to be settled between processors and growers in the the light of the quotas. Each processor has a basic and a maximum quota. expressed in terms of sugar. Sugar produced between basic and maximum quotas—"quota B"—is liable to a levy and may, therefore, be less remunerative than production within basic quotas—"quota A"; production above maximum quotas—"quota C"—must, except in case of shortage, be exported outside the EEC, so that the return to the processor depends on the world market price. These different levels of return are reflected in the prices paid for the corresponding beet.
The information requested is as follows (figures in 1,000 metric tons white sugar equivalent):
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Crop Years Member states* Belgium Denmark† France Germany Ireland† Italy Netherlands United Kingdom† Beet Cane‡ 1968–69— 1973–74— Total of basic quotas … … 550 290 1,934 466 1,750 150 1,230 550 900 Total of maximum quotas … … 633§ 392 2,611 629 2,363 203 1,661 633§ 900 1974–75— Total of basic quotas … … 550 290 1,934 466 1,750 150 1,230 550 900 Total of maximum quotas … … 660§ 421 2,804 676 2,538 218 1,784 660§ 990 Production— 1970–71 … … 551 268 2,480 379 1,892 141 1,096 657 906 1971–72 … … 772 299 2,946 283 2,156 173 1,153 771 1,086 1972–73 … … 617 315 2,745 366 2,042 157 1,184 695 886 1973–74 … … 718 338 2,914 342 2,257 176 1,039 765 963 1974–75║ … … 570 394 2,852 280 2,316 144 890 695 639 1975–76— Total of basic quotas … … 680 328 2,530 466 1,990 182 1,230 690 1,040 Total of maximum quotas … … 986 476 3,669 676 2,886 264 1,784 1,001 1,508 Notes:
* There is no production in Luxembourg.
† Quotas applicable only from 1973–74.
‡ Cane sugar is produced in some of the Overseas Departments of France.
§ These figures are approximations. The maximum quotas in these two member states were fixed at 350 per cent. of the basic quotas over the period 1968–69–1970–71 as a whole (i.e. an average of 116.7 per cent. per year), 230 per cent. for 1971–72–1972–73, and 230 per cent. (later raised to 235 per cent.) for 1973–74–1974–75. The actual maximum quotas in each year are not known.
║ Preliminary estimates from trade sources.
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