Mr. TonyMarlow asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish a comparison of United Kingdom—European Economic Community threshold prices and world market prices at 21 May for each main agricultural commodity for each of the last five years including 1982.
Table: European Community Threshold Prices and Implied World Market Prices for Main Agricultural Commodities at 21 May* 1978 to 1982 1978† 1979† 1980 1981 1982 Thresh-old price‡ Esti-mated world price║ Thresh-old price‡ Esti-mated world price║ Thresh-old price‡ Esti-mated world price║ Thresh-old price‡ Esti-mated world price║ Thresh-old price‡ Esti-mated world price║ ua/tonne ECU/tonne ECU/tonne ECU/tonne ECU/tonne Common wheat 168.3 85.2 208.6 112.0 213.6 131.6 226.0 149.0 245.7 147.6 Barley 155.1 82.3 190.3 90.0 195.0 107.3 206.3 145.0 225.2 140.3 Pigmeat 1073.4 694.7 1,422.3 917.1 1,474.9 1,108.9 1,656.2 1,427.6 1,683.6 1,302.9 Butter (82 per cent fat)¶ 2,520.0 654.9 3,099.0 756.4 3,099.0 1,035.5 3,504.8 1,619.8 3,843.9 1,967.8 Sugar (white)● 397.2 126.1 486.0 167.3 492.8 492.8 533.0 373.2 585.1 251.0 Beef and Veal▀ 2,335.1 1,193.6 2,893.5 1,465.5 2,937.0 1,533.6 3,283.6 1,653.0 3,645.5 1,689.7 Notes * For certain products and years, the new marketing years did not commence until after 21 May. † 1978 prices are expressed in ua/tonne, though from 1979 onwards they are expressed in ECU/tonne, following the start of EMS in April 1979. The 1979 institutional prices have been converted from ua to ECU by multiplying by 1.208953. ‡ Threshold prices, or nearest equivalent, for the main commodities; the common threshold price for butter and sugar; the May threshold prices for wheat and barley; the guide price for adult cattle converted to deadweight for beef; and the sluicegate price plus the basic levy for pigmeat carcases or half carcases for the appropriate period. ║ World prices have been taken as the minimum offer prices of imports underlying the calculation of the variable levies and have been calculated by subtracting the levy, for a representative product, in ECUs—or UAs—applicable on 21 May in each year from the appropriate threshold or nearest equivalent prices. The beef price has also been adjusted for duty; the sluicegate price has been taken for pigmeat. ¶ The common levy has been used to calculate the world price for butter though a lower rate of levy is applicable to imports of butter from New Zealand. ●In practice the imports of sugar from third countries are normally covered by the Lome convention and enter the Community levy free. ■Most imports of beef from third countries are subject to special arrangements allowing entry at reduced levy rates.