HC Deb 26 July 1977 vol 936 cc197-8W
Mr. Jopling

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give guidance as to the circumstances and levels of prices at which the Intervention Board may be expected to be prepared to purchase various types and varieties of cereals, in the event of a fall in prices for the 1977 crop.

Mr. Bishop

It is open to any owner of wheat and barley to offer grain for sale into intervention at any time and the Intervention Board will accept such offers provided they satisfy the minimum quantity and quality provisions contained in the relevant EEC regulations, details of which can be obtained from the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce. Apart from specific provisions for durum wheat the regulations do not distinguish varieties. In general the arrangements for the 1977–78 cereals year are not expected to be significantly different from those for 1976–77 apart from the fact that permanent automatic intervention will no longer normally be available for wheat of bread-making quality.

Each year the Council of Ministers sets the intervention prices applicable in the EEC for each cereal in the coming marketing year which begins on 1st August. Those for the United Kingdom for 1977–78 as published in an EEC regulation were contained in Press Notice No. 138*issued by my Department on 29th April, from which the hon. Member will note that full community prices will apply in the United Kingdom from 1st January 1978.

*Copies of which are available in the Library of the House.