§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect 169W the shortfall in the Russian grain harvest will have on world food stocks, assuming current predictions of the extent of the shortfall are correct; and what international action is envisaged to protect the most vulnerable consumers.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerFollowing the 1978–79 harvest, world grain stocks totalled 203.6 million tonnes. It is estimated that ample stocks of grain will therefore be available to meet the anticipated demand during the 1979–80 crop year.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current prediction of the size of the grain harvest in the EEC in the current year; and how this is likely to compare with 1978 and 1977.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerOn 15 June the EEC Commission's estimate of the 1979 Community grain harvest was between 104 million and 107 million tonnes. This compares with a provisional total of 116.0 million tonnes in 1978 and 103.4 million tonnes in 1977.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information his Department has about the probable shortfall in the Russian grain harvest in the current year over previous years and its likely effect on world grain prices.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerThe Soviet Government have given us no definite information.