§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he will not supply sugar from intervention stores to British beekeepers at the same price he makes it available to the Soviet Union.
§ Mrs. FennerThere are no intervention stocks in the United Kingdom, or normally in other Member States, although the European Community does export quota sugar on to the world market with the aid of refunds financed primarily by levies on producers. The decision on whether to introduce a scheme to provide reduced price denatured sugar for feeding bees is primarily a matter for the European Commission. Previous schemes have not proved cost-effective; they have resulted in little increase in sugar consumption, high unit administrative costs and created problems for beekeepers because of the denaturing of the sugar required to prevent abuse.