HC Deb 28 January 1975 vol 885 cc113-5W
Mr. Michael Latham

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will set out in tabular form the average auction price over each of the last four weeks for light, medium and heavy steers and light, medium and heavy heifers, respectively.

Mr. Bishop

Information in the form requested is available only for Great Britain and is set out below. Prices for medium and heavy heifers are not collected separately.

Expenditure by the Intervention Board includes aids for private storage and animal feed, import and export refunds on third country trade, import refunds—net of export levies—on intra-Community trade, certain production subsidies and, in 1974–75 only, the beef premium schemes and the special import subsidy on sugar.

Of the estimated outturn for 1974–75, £147.2 million is expected to be financed from the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, the balance being financed from Exchequer funds. In 1973–74 £76.7 million was financed from the EAGGF.

Some of the expenditure shown above benefits consumers rather than producers. Consumer subsidies on social beef and general butter, which are paid through the Intervention Board, are not included. In 1974–75 expenditure on the social beef subsidy is estimated at £15 milion of which £6 million will be financed by the EAGGF. Expenditure on the general butter subsidy is estimated at £66 million of which £55.2 million will be borne on the vote of the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection, the balance of £10.8 million being financed from the EAGGF.