§ Mr. Gryllsasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the average quantity 203W of lamb imported from New Zealand each month; how these quantities vary from month to month; what his estimates are of the average amount to be imported each month in the future; what the variation from month to month will be; and what price is paid for each ewe carcase from New Zealand.
§ Mr. Parkinson[pursuant to his reply, 14 January 1980, c. 6I7]: During the period January to November 1979, the monthly average of United Kingdom imports of lamb consigned from New Zealand was 17,315 tonnes. Details for the individual months are shown in the table below. I prefer not to venture an estimate of the future levels of these imports.
I understand that the wholesale price for the two grades of New Zealand lamb 204W regularly quoted at Smithfield market averaged 49.9 pence per pound during 1979. These grades include lambs within a weight range of 17.5 to 35.5 lbs. No comparable information is available for ewe carcase prices.
Tonnes January 1979 14,509 February 1979 27,967 March 1979 25,964 April 1979 21,290 May 1979 15,626 June 1979 21,140 July 1979 12,395 August 1979 11,665 September 1979 18,068 October 1979 10,089 November 1979 11,751 Note:The effects of industrial action have led to distortions in the pattern of trade recorded in the first eight months of 1979, and the figures for individual months must be interpreted with particular caution.