§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the quantity of butter in European Economic Community intervention which is two years old or more; what is the estimated value of such butter expressed in pence per pound; and what is the estimated cost of storing it for the average period in which such stocks have been in intervention.
§ Mr. GummerI shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
474W
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current price, expressed in sterling per litre, at which wine is made available from European Economic Community intervention stocks for sale to eastern Europe; and what was the comparable figure 12 months previously.
§ Mr. GummerIt is wine alcohol rather than wine that is held in Community public intervention stocks. However, the current minimum price at which low quality wine from the Community is available in bulk for export to some countries outside the Community, including some in eastern Europe, is about 6p per litre. This compares with a price of about 6.6p per litre at this time last year.
My hon. Friend will wish to be aware that the prices quoted do not include the costs of bottling, transportation, distribution, duty and VAT, which, by way of illustration, together make up nearly 90 per cent. of the price of a bottle of wine retailed at £2 in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the latest levels of various foodstuffs and wine in European Economic Community private and public intervention stores; and what were the totals 12 and 24 months previously.
§ Mr. GummerA note setting out, inter alia, the quantities of produce in intervention and private storage in the European Economic Community has been deposited monthly in the Library of the House since January 1985. The quantities for November 1984 are as follows:
Products in Intervention Storage: November 1984 '000 tonnes Product Stock Level Public intervention Butter 1,026 Skimmed Milk Powder 816 Wheat 5,975 Barley 1,506 Rye 337 Durum 837 Beef 547 Olive Oil 83 Oilseeds 20 Private Storage Cheese 105 Butter 178 Pigmeat 26 Dried Fruit 46 Beef 143 Table Wine (million hectolitres) 6.28
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total sum spent by the European Economic Community, expressed in terms of pounds per week, on the storage, export and withdrawal of food and wine respectively, over the most recent annual period for which figures are available.
§ Mr. GummerThe information requested is as follows:
1985 expenditure converted to weekly basis £ Storage of products in public intervention 15 Export refunds 75 Withdrawals (fish, fresh fruit and vegetables) 3 Source: EC Commission figures.