§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Prime Minister whether, in deciding the level of the co-responsibility levy, the EEC Council of Ministers took into account the fall in the cost of production of wheat; what assessment has been made on whether the levy will stop production from rising further; and if she will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing (a) the difference between the EEC price 20W and the world price of bread wheat and other wheat, (b) EEC production figures for wheat for each year since 1973 and (c) the cost of storing and financing surpluses.
§ The Prime MinisterThe European Council took account of a wide range of factors in determining the level of the additional cereals co-responsibility levy. The additional levy, together with the reductions foreseen in intervention prices for cereals, will reduce the level of producers' returns and so restrain the production of cereals.
The information requested is as follows:
(a) £/tonne Bread wheat Other wheat World price1 84–87 62 EC support2 116 110 1 Quoted prices for premium milling wheat fob Canada and Australia and for lower quality wheat fob Argentina at 11 February 1988. 2 Buying-in prices for February 1988.
(b) EEC Common Wheat Production 1973–74–1986 Million tonnes 1973–74 138.0 1974–75 141.5 1975–76 133.5 1976–77 135.3 1977–78 135.9 1978–79 143.6 1979–80 142.6 1980–81 148.0 1981–82 249.2 1982–83 255.7 1983–84 255.3 1984–85 270.2 1985–86 260.2 1986–87 365.0 1 EC 9 2 EC 10 3 EC 12 (c) The provisional cost of storing and financing intervention grain met by the Community budget in 1987 was 346 million ecu.