§ Mr. Freudasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the volume of Dutch potatoes imported into the United Kingdom (a) to date in 1982 and (b) by the equivalent date in 1980 and 1981.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerHer Majesty's Customs and Excise statistics relating to our imports of potatoes so far this year are not yet available. United Kingdom imports of Dutch potatoes in the first two months of 1980 and 1981 were as follows:
Tonnes 1980 1981 January 3,598 653 February 9,264 928 Because the United Kingdom crop has been short, and because adverse weather in January restricted supplies, the 1982 figure for imports in January is likely to be high.
§ Mr. Freudasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total quantity of Turkish onions imported into the United Kingdom in each of the last two months; and what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure crop health.
§ Mrs. FennerTwenty tonnes of Turkish onions were imported into the United Kingdom in each of the months 71W October and November 1981, the most recent period for which figures are available. Imports are subject to the surveillance exercised by the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate at ports and in wholesale markets. Inspectors have powers to order the destruction of produce which represents a health risk to home crops.
§ Mr. Freudasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the expected volume of imported carrots from France in 1982; and what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that these are sold at a fair price and that there are no hidden subsidies.
§ Mrs. FennerI see no reason why the quantity of carrots imported from France in 1982 should vary from the levels of recent years which is from 10,000 to 20,000 tonnes, that is 2 to 3 per cent. of our total supplies.
If firm evidence is put to us that the French are competing unfairly in the United Kingdom market we shall take appropriate steps to safeguard our growers' interests.
§ Mr. Freudasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the estimated cost of food imports for 1982; and what were the figures in each of the last seven years.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerI am not prepared to forecast the cost of food imports in 1982 and I regret that complete figures are not yet available for 1981. The cost of food imports for the seven years 1974 to 1980 was as follows:
£ million c.i.f. (1) 1974 3,565 1975 4,040 1976 4,707 1977 5,718 1978 5,580 1979 5,973 1980 5,750 Note (1) Section 0 of the UN Standard Industrial Trade Classification less live animals and feedingstuffs plus food items from other sections.