§ Mr. Colin Shepherdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the total butter consumed within the European Community is subsidised; what has been the value to the United Kingdom consumer of butter subsidies in each of the past 165W three years; and what is the balance between butter subsidised on to the domestic European Community market compared with butter subsidised by the EEC on to the world market.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithIn 1980, about 36 per cent. of the total butter consumed within the European Community was subsidised.
The total value to the United Kingdom consumer of butter subsidies granted under the various European Community schemes in each of the past three years is estimated as follows:
£ million 1978 81.8 1979 87.8 1980 111.8 It is estimated that, in 1980, 591,614 tonnes of butter were subsidised for sale on the internal European Community market at a cost of 467.5 million ecu—£301.61 million—and that 348,417 tonnes were exported on to the world market with the aid of export refunds at a cost of 415 million ecu—£267.74 million.