§ 38. Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to arrest the decline in the British balance of trade with EEC countries attributable to the payment of higher prices for food imports from the EEC under the terms of the common agricultural policy.
§ Mr. BishopThe cost of food imports is only one element in our balance of trade with other members of the EEC. In the White Paper "Food from Our Own Resources" (Cmnd. 6020) the Government set out the possibilities for saving imports through the expansion of home agriculture and subsequent decisions on agricultural policy have reflected that strategy. FEOGA-funded mca subsidies are currently making a significant contribution towards containing the cost of many of our food imports.