HC Deb 11 July 1983 vol 45 cc239-41W
Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in view of Her Majesty's Government's consistent opposition to the export of subsidised food to the Soviet Union, he will propose to the European Commission that a record be maintained of the sums spent on such transactions.

Mr. MacGregor

Adequate records already exist of the quantities exported to different destinations. I am not convinced that the advantages of recording the cost of refunds on exports to particular countries would outweigh the additional administrative costs involved.

The Government will continue to oppose any proposal for exports to the Soviet Union on specially favourable terms.

Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what total sums were paid by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce in export refunds and monetary compensation amounts in respect of the exporting of food and drink to the Soviet Union and east Europe, respectively, in the most recent year for which figures are available and in each of the previous five years, respectively.

Mr. MacGregor

I refer my hon. Friend to the written reply given to him on 19 February 1982—[Vol. 18, c.335]. As pointed out in the written reply given to him on 1 March 1982—[Vol. 19, c. 66]—this information was produced by the Intervention Board after a special interrogation of its computer records. I regret that this further information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There would also be doubts about the reliability of the information.

Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total sum spent by European Community member states and agencies in paying export refunds and monetary compensation amounts for the export of food to third countries in the most recent year for which figures are available and for each of the previous five years, respectively.

Mr. Jopling

The following table sets out FEOGA expenditure on export refunds and monetary compensatory amounts on exports to third countries from 1977 to 1982. Monetary compensatory amounts levied in excess of the export refund are counted as part of the Communities' own resources and are not included in the figures shown below.

£ million
1982 5,053 mecu 2,800
1981 5,209 mecu 2,900
1980 5,691 mecu 3,450
1979 4,925 mecu 3,200
1978 3,131 mua 1,300
1977 2,352 mua 1,000

Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the total tonnages of subsidised food and wine exported by the European Community to third countries in the most recent year for which figures are available and for each of the previous five years, respectively.

Mr. MacGregor

Information on the volumes of the main agricultural products exported from the European Community to third countries in the years 1977 to 1982 is given in the table. These represent total exports some of which may not have received export refund.

European Community* exports to third countries
'000 tonnes
Commodity 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
Beef and veal 86 102 224 527 504 336
Pigmeat 46 52 99 83 171 51
Poultrymeat 216 193 264 337 458 436
Skimmed milk powder 436 418 636 580 501 352
Whole milk powder 330 335 385 531 537 458
Condensed milk 558 545 556 654 582 601
Butter and butteroil 245 245 464 547 455 375
Cheese and curd 208 219 265 330 360 380
Common wheat 1,385 1,896 4,343 7,506 10,538 9,252
Durum wheat 43 21 19 19 92 226
Barley 528 3,783 3,111 4,309 5,369 2,581
Wheat flour 2,113 2,244 2,547 3,024 3,409 3,218
Rice 163 338 328 387 391 325
Malt 887 1,116 1,135 1,015 1,216 1,160
Sugar (refined) 2,394 2,978 3,112 3,597 4,635 4,699
Wine 612 682 816 929 1,024 1,102
Sourse: Eurostat.
* 1977–80, EC9; 1981–82, EC10.

Back to