§ Mr. Bodyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the difference between the cost to the United Kingdom consumer of buying foodstuffs at current prices and the cost of buying such foodstuffs at third country offer prices as used in the computation of European Economic Community levels.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerAny estimate would fail to take account of the fact that the benefit to consumers from moving away from European Community support levels towards lower prices would need to be accompanied by substantial additional contributions from taxpayers to the support of United Kingdom agriculture. I assume my hon. Friend has in mind that the total volume of foodstuffs consumed in the United Kingdom in 1980 should be multiplied by the average United Kingdom levy on imports for that year. But, as I pointed out in my written reply of 8 July 1980 to my hon. Friend the Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Mr. Shepherd), this method of calculation overstates the real differences since it is unlikely that we would be able, or would in some cases necessarily choose, to purchase all our import requirements at the third country offer prices used in the computation of European Community import levies.—[Vol. 988, c.139.]