§ Mr. Swainasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what percentage of exported live cattle is being reimported to Great Britain as carcase meat;
(2) what proportion of live cattle exported from the United Kingdom to the EEC countries is being sent back to the United Kingdom as processed meat.
§ Mr. BishopOfficial overseas trade statistics show that 70,380 fat and store cattle were exported from the United Kingdom to the rest of the EEC between January and October 1977. Of these, 67,210 were recorded as exports from Northern Ireland across the land border to the Irish Republic. It is not possible to estimate what proportion of these live exports came back as carcass or processed meat into the United Kingdom because the identity of a live animal is lost when it is slaughtered and processed. However, the total live cattle exports given above are approximately equivalent to 17,600 tonnes of carcase beef. Imports of carcase beef and processed beef from all sources during the same period were 217,011 tonnes and 67,504 tonnes, respectively.
§ Mr. Swainasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether reimported carcase meat receives the 13p per pound subsidy paid to beef producers in the EEC.
§ Mr. BishopI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the system of monetary compensatory amounts which is applied to intra-Community trade in beet. Carcase meat derived from animals originally exported live and re-imported into the United Kingdom would be subject to charges and payments as appropriate under this system.
§ Mr. Swainasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect the import of cattle from the Republic of Ireland is having on the United Kingdom beef producing industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BishopImports of Irish store cattle are required by our own fatteners and play a vital part of United Kingdom beef production. Together with the import430W of Irish fat cattle, these animals form part of the traditional trade between the Irish Republic and the United Kingdom and the slaughter of these animals gives employment in this country. Even so, the number of imported animals is still well below the levels envisaged in the Anglo/Irish Free Trade Area Agreement. United Kingdom producers' average returns from fat cattle have been maintained at the target price and the market has been underpinned by our intervention arrangements which have been strengthened recently by the restoration of Steers "M" as an eligible category.