§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing for each of the past 10 years the percentage reduction in the real cost of producing feedstuff cereals as a result of increased yields and increases in labour productivity; and if he will include figures showing the real increase in prices each year.
§ Mr. MacGregorCereal yields and changes in labour productivity are only two of the many elements which determine the cost of producing cereals. Details of annual changes in labour productivity in the cereals sector are not available, but cereal yields and producer prices for the past 10 years are set out in the following table:
in 1983; what is the justification for the minimum price; and what effect this will have on United Kingdom imports from third countries.
§ Mrs. FennerThe European Commission is authorised by regulation EEC No. 516/77 to take appropriate measures to be applied to trade with non-member countries in the event of serious disturbance from imports to the 539W Community market in products processed from fruit and vegetables. Commission regulation EEC No. 2742/82 introduced from 17 October 1982 a temporary minimum import price for dried grapes, other than currants, of 106.7 European currency units (ECU) per 100 kg. Information on the price of Greek produce is not available in the precise form sought, but the average value of all grades of Greek sultana imports into the United Kingdom was £604.67 per tonne cif in 1983.
The effect of the minimum price is to subject imports of sultanas and raisins entering the Community at lower prices to a fixed counter-vailing charge. During 1983 this charge was 16 ECU per 100 kg; but from 4 November the minimum import price was raised by 5.3 ECU, which was also applied as the countervailing charge for imports meeting a price of 106.7 ECU per 100 kg but below 112.0 ECU per 100kg.