§ Mr. Colin Shepherdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what were the tonnages of whole slaughtered turkeys imported from the United States of America by the European Economic Community and the United Kingdom, respectively, for each of the years 1977 and 1978 and the current year to date;
(2) if he is satisfied that under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade between the United States of America and the European Economic Community covering the export of turkeymeat from the United States of America to the Community that the United Kingdom is not receiving an unreasonable proportion of the total exports of whole slaughtered turkeys from the United States of America;
(3) what was the average level of exports of turkeymeat from the United States of America to the European Economic Community for the first six months of the current year or for such months
IMPORTS FROM THE USA OF TURKEYMEAT Tonnes (1) into the EEC (2) into the UK All turkeymeat of which whole birds All turkeymeat of which whole birds Period 1977 11,575 282 848 25 1978 11,169 123 1,328 82 Average 1977–78 11,372 203 1,088 54 1980 Jan-May Provisional 3,864 472 799* 426* Notes: Source: Commission statistics of imports entering into free circulation within the European Community having passed through customs boundaries. The figures for total turkeymeat include a small proportion of other poultrymeat not separately specified in the Community's import statistics. * Statistics compiled for the purposes of the United Kingdom's Overseas Trade Statistics show total imports of all turkeymeat (including whole turkeys) and whole turkeys, including quantities not entering into free circulation having passed customs boundaries, as 1,353 tonnes and 598 tonnes respectively for the period January to May 1980.
§ Mr. Colin Shepherdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what he estimates will be the effect on the United Kingdom turkeymeat market if the review by the Commission of the European Economic Community of the sluicegate prices for turkeymeat results in prices being set which do not accord with present United Kingdom production costs;
104W as figures are available; and, if these exceeded the average level for 1977–78, what discussions have taken place or are scheduled to take place.
- (2) if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Hereford, Official Report.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe table below shows the imports of turkeymeat from the United States of America into the European Community. Under the terms of an exchange of letters between the Community and the United States, following the conclusion of the multilateral trade negotiations under the GATT, if exports of turkeymeat from the United States to the European Community exceed the average level realised in the course of the years 1977 and 1978, discussions will be held to examine the situation and, if necessary, find a solution to the problem thus created.
The exchange of letters does not specify what is to be regarded under the terms of this agreement as each country's reasonable proportion of the particular types of turkeymeat traded. Imports of turkeymeat to the European Community for the first five months of 1980 did not exceed the average imports for 1977 and 1978 shown in the table below.
15 April, c. 583, the review of sluicegate prices governing the entry of poultrymeat into the European Economic Community being carried out by the Commission has yet been completed; and if so, what was the outcome.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithAs I said in my reply to my hon. Friend on 15 April, we are not satisfied that the current sluicegate prices are in line with current production costs. The Commission is still considering the matter. If sluice- 105W gate prices are set at levels which do not accord with estimated production costs, United Kingdom producers face difficulties on the United Kingdom market in competing with imports from third countries.—[Vol. 982, c. 583.]