HC Deb 13 January 1986 vol 89 cc486-7W
Mr. Hicks

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what is the overall cost of storing the surplus butter currently held by intervention boards within the European Economic Community; and what the figure is for storing the surplus butter held within the United Kingdom;

(2) what was the overall cost of storing the surplus butter held by intervention boards within the European Economic community for 1983 and 1984, respectively;

(3) what is the estimate for the overall cost of storing the surplus butter held by intervention boards within the European Economic Community for 1986;

(4) what is the percentage change in the overall cost of storing the surplus butter held by intervention boards within the European Economic Community for the years 1983, 1984 and 1985, respectively; and what is the estimated percentage change for 1986;

(5) what is the overall cost of storing the surplus butter currently held by intervention boards within the European Economic Community; what was the overall cost for 1983 and 1984, respectively; what is the estimated cost for 1986; and what is the percentage change for each year from 1983 to 1986, respectively;

(6) what is the overall cost of storing one tonne of surplus butter held by intervention boards within the European Economic Community for one year.

Mr. Gummer

[pursuant to his reply, 20 December 1985, c. 351]: The current cost to the Community of storing 1 tonne of butter in public intervention for one year is approximately 403 ecu (£230). There may be additional costs which fall to be met by the member state in which the butter is stored.

Community expenditure on the technical and financing costs of public intervention storage of butter for the years 1983 to 1986, and the percentage changes between these years, are as follows:

mecu Percentage change
1983 176
1984 368 +109
1985 (Budget and transfers) 394 +7
1986 (Draft budget) 299 -24

NOTE: These figures include the handling charges for butter bought and sold during the year.

Details of expenditure by the intervention board for agricultural produce on public intervention storage of butter in the United Kingdom in 1985–86 are given in the Winter Supplementary Estimates (HC9 1985–86) for Class III Vote 1. The Community expenditure figure given above for 1984 includes 66 mecu (£38 million) for storage in the United Kingdom.