§ Mrs. Jegerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the amount of beef imported from Botswana for processing in the United Kingdom; and what restrictions are imposed on the increase of these imports.
§ Mr. BishopEEC arrangements introduced under the Lomé Convention provide for the Community to import 17,360 tonnes of beef from Botswana this year free of customs duties and at rates of levy reduced by 90 per cent. Most of this beef in practice comes to the United Kingdom. It is not subject to end use 339W restrictions and no precise information is available about the proportion used for processing. The Lomé Convention provides for quantities of ACP beef exempt from Customs duties to increase by 7 per cent. each year. Botswana is free to send additional quantities of beef under various other EEC arrangements, including two special quotas for beef of manufacturing quality, which are subject to nil or reduced levies and within an annual objective are adjusted each quarter.