HC Deb 25 January 1983 vol 35 c398W
Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, pursuant to his statement on 19 January, Official Report, c. 337, he will give details of the big reduction in the major surpluses in the European Economic Community to which he referred.

Mr. Peter Walker

In mid-January, stocks in public intervention and assisted private storage of the major surplus products, skimmed milk powder and butter, were below the levels at the corresponding date in 1979.

Each annual common agricultural policy price fixing since the Government took office has resulted in common price reductions in real terms for the major products in surplus in the Community—that is, milk, cereals and sugar. In the case of milk, as I mentioned following my statement on 19 January, the cumulative effect has been to reduce common support prices in the milk sector in real terms by about 17 per cent.

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