HC Deb 17 May 1977 vol 932 cc102-3W
Mr. Shepherd

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out in the Official Report a table showing (a) the difference between the United Kingdom market price and the support price, and (b) the difference between the United Kingdom price and the average world price of the following commodities: butter, cheese, skimmed milk powder, whole milk, beef, pork, pig-meat, poultry, eggs, wheat, barley rye, oats, maize, bilseed rape and sugar.

Mr. Bishop

There is no satisfactory basis for identifying average world market prices for many commodities and there is no United Kingdom market price for pigmeat as such, but the most relevant

£ PER TONNE (FIGURES ARE FOR MARCH 1977)
United Kingdom support price (intervention price on nearest equivalent) United Kingdom market price Excess of market price over support price
Butter … 1,006 1,124(e) 118
Cheese … (a) 1,045(e) —
Skimmed milk powder … 520 532(k) 12
Whole milk (pence per gallon) … 44(m) 45(f) 1
Beef … 551(b) 561(g) 10
Pork … 652(c) 647(h) −5
Poultry meat … (a) 779(i) —
Eggs (pence per dozen) … (a) 34(j) —
Wheat (common) … 70 89 19
Barley … 62 85 23
Rye … 78(d) 86(k) 8
Oats … 70(d) 82 12
Maize … 73(d) 84 11
Oilseed rape … 150 174 24
Sugar (white) … 194 226(l) 32

  1. (a) No internal United Kingdom support price in operation.
  2. (b) United Kingdom Target price for certified live cattle.
  3. (c) EEC basic price.
  4. (d) United Kingdom threshold price.
  5. (e) London Provision Exchange, English produce.
  6. (f) Average producer price for England and Wales.
  7. (g) Liveweight auction price.
  8. (h) Excluding subsidy.
  9. (i) Wholesale, broilers.
  10. (j) Packer to producer price, white standard eggs.
  11. (k) England and Wales.
  12. (l) Ex-refinery granulated sugar, bagged.
  13. (m) Guaranteed price for 1976–77 as a whole.

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