HC Deb 14 January 1976 vol 903 cc170-1W
Mr. Spearing

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will tabulate in the Official Report the approximate capacity of each member of the EEC to refine sugar beet to raw sugar, and raw sugar to refined sugar, respectively, for each sugar beet year; and give also the current and future quotas in each category for each country.

Mr. Strang

No precise information is available on the capacity of each member State to refine sugar beet into raw sugar and refined sugar respectively. However, an indication of approximate capacity for refining sugar beet is given in the following table, which shows for each EEC member State the highest level of production reached between 1960–61 and 1974–75, expressed in terms of white sugar.

White sugar: 000 metric tons
(1) Italy (1969–70) campaign) 1,268
Netherlands (1971–72 campaign) 771
Belgium/Luxembourg (1971–72 campaign) 772
United Kingdom (1971–72 campaign) 1,086
(1) Germany (1973–74 campaign) 2,260
(2) France (1973–74 campaign) 3,258
Ireland (1973–74 campaign) 176
Denmark (1974–75 campaign) 383
(1) Including sugar from molasses.
(2) Including production in French Overseas Departments.

The basic production quotas in each member State are set out below. These are fixed in terms of white sugar only. They will apply for the five sugar campaigns from 1975–76 to 1979–80, when they will be reviewed; no change is expected in the quotas before that time.

White sugar: 000 metric tons
Italy 1,230
Netherlands 690
Belgium / Luxembourg 680
United Kingdom 1,040
Germany 1,990
France 2,996
Ireland 182
Denmark 328

The Council of Ministers also fixes the level of maximum quotas as a percentage of basic quotas year by year, in the light of expected supply and marketing prospects. In 1975–76 the maximum production quota has been fixed at 145 per cent. of basic quotas.

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