§ Miss Richardsonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what quantity of butter oil and milk powder is held by the EEC, both in stock and surplus to requirements; and whether he will give a detailed breakdown of the distribution of this food and the recipients thereof as part of Europe's contribution to the world food programme;
(2) whether he is satisfied that every attempt is being made to use EEC food stocks surplus to the Community's requirements to alleviate hunger in the developing nations.
§ Mr. PrenticeI have been asked to reply.
Currently, under intervention arrangements, public agencies in the EEC hold stocks of skimmed milk powder, cereals, beef, butter and a little olive oil and cheese. There are no intervention stocks of butter oil.
For various reasons—in particular because people in the developing countries find it difficult to accept foods to which they are unaccustomed and because it would be wrong to encourage a demand for expensive exotic foods—none of the surplus food stocked by the EEC at this time would be suitable for the relief of hunger in the developing countries except the skimmed milk powder and cereals.
Intervention stocks of skimmed milk power at 8th January amounted to 1,127,000 metric tons. In 1975 the EEC made 100,000 metric tons of it available to developing countries at roughly half the commercial price. The distribution was as follows: 416W
Recipient country Tonnage Catholic Relief Services Cape Verde Islands 500 World Food Programme Venezuela 150 Indonesia 250 Tanzania 484 Uganda 200 Bolivia 500 Burundi 15 Congo 18 Cuba 1,229 Ethiopa 314 Upper-Volta 1 India 300 Jordan 300 Lebanon 540 Somalia 15 Tunisia 789 Total 5,105
World Council of Churches Cape Verde Islands 130 South Vietnam 500 India 403 Sudan 104 Kenya 50 Cameroons 2 Ethiopa 50 Ghana 5 Upper Volta 50 Israel/Jordan (West Bank) 10 Mali 80 Mauritania 20 Mozambique 100 Niger 50 Sao Tomé 25 Senegal 50 Syria 40 Chad 30 Zambia 20 Bolivia 50 Total 1,769
Oxfam India 50 Angola 10 Cape Verde Islands 20 Niger 10 Total 90 417W
S.O.S. Tømaelk (Abbe Pierre) Bangladesh 10 Medisch Comité Nederland—Vietnam South Vietnam 240 "Concern" Mozambique 10 Bangaldesh 200 Tanzania 10 Total 200
Terre des Hommes (Luxembourg) Ivory Coast 2 Dahomey 2 Mali 0.5 Niger 2 Chad 0.5 Togo 3.5 Tunisia 0.5 Total 11
Caritas India 1,179 Tanzania 380 Peru 120 Zaire 120 Dahomey 100 Haiti 500 Senegal 50 Malawi 20 Philippines 50 Dominican Republic 100 Sudan 70 Mauritania 200 Portugal (for Angolan refugees) 50 Angola 70 Zaire 6.2 Total 3,015.2
IDA Laos 20 Angola 10 Niger 10 Total 50
HULP & HOOP Haiti 10 "Dr. E. Mondlane-Stichting" Angola 60 "Medico international" Cape Verde Islands 10 Grand Total in metric tons 11,090.2 The amount disposed of under this scheme is limited by the arrangements that can be made for the proper supervision of its use, without which the consumption of this product in developing countries can be dangerous.
In addition to this Scheme, and outside the surplus disposal arrangements, the EEC has given 55,000 metric tons of skimmed milk powder, 45,000 metric tons of butter oil and 1,287,000 metric tons of cereals under last year's EEC food aid programmes. Full information on the distribution of that food aid has been 418W made available to the Library of the House.
The Commission for the European Communities has proposed an increase in EEC food aid, including cereals. Britain has supported this but some other member States have not been able to agree.
Outside these EEC food aid programmes, Britain and several other EEC member States support the World Food Programme bilaterally. In 1975 Britain sent 2,165 metric tons of skimmed milk powder as part of its pledge for the biennium 1975–76.