§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he now has the 1981 total of food and wine, respectively, exported from the European Economic Community to the Soviet Union in 1981; and what were the comparable totals in each of the previous six years.
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§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithAs I explained in my reply of 14 June—[Vol. 25, c. 212]—figures for 1981 for the Community as a whole are unlikely to be available before the end of the year. I have, however, written to my hon. Friend giving details for 1981, of total exports, by member States other than the United Kingdom, to the Soviet Union of the main agricultural commodities. Figures for the whole of the European Community for years 1976 to 1980 were provided in the reply to him on 8 June. Comparable figures for 1975 are not readily available.—[Vol. 25, c. 26–8.]
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount of subsidy paid by the European Economic Community for the export of subsidised food to other nations outside the European Economic Community by member States of the European Economic Community in the most recent year for which figures are available; and if he will express this total as an amount per day.
§ Mr. Peter Walker[pursuant to his reply, 12 July 1982, c. 269]: In 1981 total Community expenditure on export refunds amounted to 4,939 million ecu—£2,750 million; this represents a daily expenditure figure of approximately 14 million ecu—£8 million.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount of food and fish, respectively, which was destroyed or otherwise disposed of by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce in 1981; and if he will specify the individual amounts of each commodity which was destroyed or otherwise disposed of.
§ Mr. Peter Walker[pursuant to his reply, 12 July 1982, c. 269]: The details for 1981 were as follows:
Tonnes Commodity Destroyed Otherwise Disposed of Beef NIL 26,689 Butter NIL 19,722 Skimmed Milk Powder NIL 505 Breadmaking Wheat NIL 51,693 Apples 12,636 3,802 Pears 136 44 Tomatoes 5 NIL Fish 1,355 48,128 Total 14,132 150,583
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total amount spent by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce in paying subsidies to enable cheap food to be sent to foreign countries; and what were the comparable totals for each of the previous six years.
§ Mr. Peter Walker[pursuant to his reply, 12 July 1982, c. 269]: The following are the amounts of refund paid by the board on exports to non-member countries in the years in question:
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£s 1981 238,706,179 1980 198,744,291 1979 132,335,251
£s 1978 111,282,699 1977 28,258,937 1976 18,785,135 1975 3,865,771 This expenditure was wholly pre-funded by the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund. The figures illustrate the success of this Government's policies, including our policy on the green pound, in encouraging exports and increasing United Kingdom receipts from the Community budget.