§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many tons of beef for consumption by Her Majesty's forces has been purchased from (a) Uruguay, (b) New Zealand and (c) Australia and any other foreign nation in each of the last five years for which figures are availabile; and what is the projected amount for the current year.
§ Mr. FreemanThe MOD purchases annually in excess of 3,000 tonnes of beef, averaging some £8 million a year, for consumption worldwide by the armed forces. Because procurement of this beef, in accordance with Government policy, is the subject of competitive tendering action from United Kingdom and European Economic Community firms, who obtain their supplies from normal trade sources, it is not possible to provide detailed information regarding the origin of the beef, although it has been established that the bulk of purchases for the current year will, in fact, come from EEC countries. MOD contracts are, of course, placed on the basis of obtaining best value for money, taking account of the United Kingdom's international treaty obligations as well as the need to meet MOD's quality standards.