§ Mr. Biffenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tonnage quota has been negotiated within the EEC for United Kingdom beet sugar producers; how this compares with output figures over the past three years; what estimate he has made of the likely take-up of the new quota; what is the current beet refining capacity; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StrangThe United Kingdom' basic quota has been fixed at 1,040,000 metric tons of sugar, white equivalent, for the years 1975–76 to 1979–80 inclusive. In addition, there is a maximum quota which has been set at 145 per cent. of the basic quota for 1975–76, i.e. at 1,508,000 metric tons, and will be reviewed annually.
Production of beet sugar over the last three crop years, has been as follows:
thousand metric tons (white sugar equivalent) 1971–72 1,086 1972–73 886 1973–74 963 The extent to which the quota is taken up in future will depend upon the price level and the conditions attaching to production between the basic and the maximum quota, as well as upon the availability of processing capacity. The British Sugar Corporation's current capacity is at least sufficient to meet the basic quota.
389WA factory expansion and modernisation programme is in progress which could in due course increase capacity to 1.25 million tons, and the corporation is urgently reviewing the programme in the light of the increase in the United Kingdom's quota. In this connection it has recently announced its decision to keep the Selby factory open indefinitely.