§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why it is not possible to make supplies of basic foodstuffs available to consumers in the United
190Wannual exports of butter and butter oil, respectively, by the EEC in each year since 1973; and if he will seek to obtain from international and Commonwealth sources the comparable figures for exports of butter and butter oil by New Zealand in each of the same annual periods.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithExports of butter and butter oil (excluding food aid) by the European Community and by New Zealand from 1973 are as follows:
Kingdom at the same low and subsidised prices at which they are offered to the Soviet Union, Poland and other East European states.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithThe United Kingdom benefits from a subsidy on butter of 13p per lb., wholly financed by the Community; and butter and some other commodities are made available at subsidised prices to certain groups of consumers.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will explain the procedures adopted by the EEC Commission to satisfy itself that exports of food at greatly subsidised prices to Poland under the proposals recently agreed to are not exported to the Soviet Union or providing a basis on which similar home produced foodstuffs are exported from Poland to the Soviet Union.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithUnder the Commission's arrangements for supplying food to Poland, exports are subject to proof of contract between traders and the responsible Polish authorities and the lodging of financial securities. Release of the securities, or payment of the export refund where applicable, is dependent on receipt of documentary proof of arrival of the goods in Poland