§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many tonnes of (a) apples, (b) oranges, (c) tomatoes and (d) cauliflowers have been destroyed by the European Economic Community in the last 12 months.
§ Mrs. FennerFigures for the crop year 1982–83, the latest for which comprehensive information is available, are as follows:
Commodity Amount withdrawn under Intervention system ('000 tonnes) Quantity assumed to be* spoilt or destroyed ('000 tonnes) Apples 1,148 206 Oranges 127 124 Tomatoes 54 18 Cauliflowers 40 20 Note:
* defined as produce not disposed of to one of the outlets provided for in the Community rules, such as charitable organisations or animal feed.
† Provisional estimates of quantities withdrawn from the market in 1983–84 are, in thousand tonnes, as follows:
apples, 67; oranges, 321; tomatoes, 29; cauliflowers, 7.
No figures are yet available to show how the quantities were disposed of.
Source: Commission of the European Communities.