HC Deb 23 February 1984 vol 54 cc594-5W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which agricultural products subject to the common agricultural policy are traded on world markets primarily in dollar terms; and if he will estimate the cost to the European Economic Community in terms of export restitutions, and so on, of each 1 cent fall in the dollar against the European currency unit.

Mr. MacGregor

There is no record of the proportion of world trade in those commodities subject to the common agricultural policy which takes place in United States dollars, although a large proportion of the trade in cereals, rice and sugar is believed to take place in this currency. It is not possible reliably to estimate the effects of a depreciation of the dollar against the European currency unit on the various categories of expenditure under the CAP. Moreover, in practice, currency movements would be only one of many factors taken into account by the Commission in managing the Community's markets for agricultural commodities by, for example, fixing export refunds.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the common agricultural policy price for agricultural commodities and the percentage deviation from that price in each European Economic Community country calculated in monetary compensatory amounts.

Mr. MacGregor

A table showing the common intervention or guide price for the major agricultural commodities and the percentage MCA adjustment in member states is as follows:

Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing, for the agricultural products covered by the common agricultural policy, the current guide to price, the current intervention price, the world price, the amount of the levy and the amount of any monetary compensatory amount.

United Kingdom prices and levies for main Agricultural Commodities as at 3 February 1984 Levy applied on United Kingdom imports from third countries
*Guide Price Intervention Price Lowest Offer Price Total of which UK MCA
£/t £/t £/t £/t £/t
Beef and veal †2,434.3 †2,190.9 955.1 ●1,392.6 149.9
Sheepmeat 2,273.6 2,273.6 1,435.9 ¶— na
Pigmeat 1,270.6 ‡991.1 886.7 284.4 67.8
Poultrymeat na na 682.2 135.3 19.0
Eggs na na 598.7 146.5 22.2
Butter, 82 per cent. na 2,213.9 1,095.9 ●1,307.8 168.3
Skimmed milk powder na 925.8 490.6 555.3 70.4
Common wheat 171.3 ║135.5 101.5 62.4 9.6
Barley 156.9 123.7 106.0 43.6 8.7
Maize 156.9 123.7 107.1 42.5 8.7
Sugar (white) 348.2 338.3 146.2 ▀258.5 27.1
Notes:
na = not applicable
* Pigmeat, basic price; cereals and sugar, target price. There is no guide price for butter and SMP; however, the target price for milk of 3.7 per cent, fat is £169.70/tonne.
† For ease of comparison the guide price and intervention price for cattle have been converted to deadweight equivalents using a killing out coefficient of 1.9. The intervention price is that from which the buying in prices for different categories of cattle are derived.
‡ Lowest intervention price.
║ Quoted is the reference price for wheat of minimum breadmaking quality which would be applicable if special intervention measures were introduced.
¶ Imports of lamb under voluntary restraint agreements with principal suppliers, and related agreements, are subject to a reduced charge of 10 per cent. ad valorem.
• In the case of beef and butter, the United Kingdom obtains a large proportion of its imports from third countries at reduced rates or levy.
▀ In practice, United Kingdom imports from third countries are normally covered by the Lomé convention and enter the Community levy free.

Guide prices and intervention prices have been converted at the representative rate of 0.618655 £/ECU; the lowest offer prices are converted at the spot rate of 0.565227 £/ECU.