§ Mr. Steenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was (a) the per capita consumption of cow's milk and (b) the milk quota for the United Kingdom and France in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. GummerThe milk quotas for the United Kingdom and France for each of the last three years are as follows:
United Kingdom1 '000 tonnes France '000 tonnes 1984–85 15,885 26,768 1985–86 15,725 26,508 1986–87 15,725 26,508 1 Excludes allocation from Community Reserve. Milk is consumed as a range of products in which the butterfat and solids-not-fat proportion are different from those in whole milk and it is not meaningful to produce a single figure of the consumption of milk. However pages 95 to 103 of the fourth quarter of 1985 edition of the Eurostat publication "Animal Production" give the consumption per head of drinking milk and the major milk products for 1981 to 1984.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what formula is used to determine national milk quotas under the Common Agriculture Policy: what account is taken of population size; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerAllocation of national milk quotas was in general based on deliveries to dairies in each member state during 1981 increased by 1 per cent. An additional368W 1 per cent. was allowed for the first year of operation to facilitate transition to the quota system. Exceptionally, national quotas for Italy and Ireland were based on deliveries during 1983, with no extra 1 per cent. for the first quota year, and 1983 was also later used to fix the level of quota for Spain. Population size was not a contributory factor, as it is clearly irrelevant. I believe quota has been determined fairly but that continuing surpluses require further cuts to be made. These should be applied equally between all member states.