§ 20. Mr. BoswellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the subsequent effect on intervention stocks of the agreement of the Council of Agriculture Ministers in December 1986.
§ Mr. MacGregorLargely as a result of the reforms to the EC dairy regime agreed under the United Kingdom presidency in December 1986, and the associated accelerated disposal programme for existing stocks, EC stocks of butter at the end of November 1987 were 974,000 tonnes, 31 per cent. down on their level in December 1986. Stocks of skimmed milk powder at the end of November 1987 were 592,000 tonnes, 34 per cent. down on those in December 1986. United Kingdom intervention stocks of butter were down 36 per cent. and stocks of skimmed milk powder down 88 per cent. over the same period.
In the period from 6 April 1987, when the reforms to the beef regime came into effect, to the end of 1987, EC purchases were 396,500 tonnes, 19 per cent. down on the 722W same period in 1986. Broadly proportionate reductions occurred in the United Kingdom. EC intervention stocks in 1987, however, built up to higher levels than those obtaining in 1986 because of substantially lower sales from intervention for export.