§ Mr. Sedgemoreasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he can give figures for the average price over the past month, or for the latest available period, for beef, veal, lamb, butter, cheese, hard wheat and maize (1) in Common Market countries and (2) in countries outside the Common Market.
§ Mr. BishopThere is no easily identifiable basis on which prices for most commodities in Community and non-Community countries can be compared. Direct comparisons of prices of foodstuffs from different national sources are also difficult to make because of differences in quality, grading and presentation of products. Subject to these reservations, the latest comparison of prices of foods imported into the United Kingdom from EEC and non-EEC sources in February 1975 is as follows:
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§ Mr. Roperasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether his Department has any evidence that in the long run Great Britain will be able to obtain key food commodities at cheaper prices outside the EEC.
§ Mr. BishopNo. Some foods may be cheaper at times outside the EEC. But there is no evidence that we could in the long run obtain adequate supplies of key foodstuffs at prices below Community levels.