§ 29. Mr. Spearingasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the cost of export subsidies and storage cuts in disposing of the estimated six million tons of surplus cereals produced by the United Kingdom in 1982.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithNo such estimate can be made. Costs will depend on how much of the surplus is sold within the Community and how much to other countries, since export refunds are only payable in the latter case; the size of the export refunds, which will vary according to world prices; how much of the surplus is bought into intervention before being exported; and for how long the latter quantities have to be stored.