Mr. Shepherdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the measures he took in 1980 which had the effect of increasing the cost of food to the consumer.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithWe agreed to increases in support prices under the common agricultural policy for 1980–81 averaging about 4¾ per cent. for United Kingdom producers; an increase far below the general rate of inflation. I estimate that this caused a rise of under 1 per cent. in the food price index. We also raised the permitted maximum retail price of liquid milk by a total of 2p per pint, which was needed to maintain the door step delivery service in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Shepherdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what proportion of common agricultural policy revenues originating from the British contribution were returned to British farmers for each of the years 1975 to 1980 by way of the common agricultural policy;
(2) what proportion of common agricultural policy revenues originated from the French contribution for each of the years 1975 to 1980; and what proportion of the contribution was returned to French producers for each year, respectively.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerMember States do not contribute to the common agricultural policy as such but to the Community Budget as a whole. Expenditure under the CAP goes to producers, traders and consumers.