HC Deb 25 November 1988 vol 142 cc54-7W
Mr. Paice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the United Kingdom intervention price for cereals would have been at 1988 values, for each year 1975 to 1988 if there had been no green pound disparity.

Mr. Ryder

The table sets out the prices at which feed quality wheat would have been bought into intervention in the United Kingdom if it is assumed that common agricultural prices had been converted at the market rate of exchange for the pound sterling obtaining al the beginning of the marketing year. These prices have been converted to 1988 values using the GDP deflator.

Marketing year beginning in
1£ per tonne
1975 154
1976 169
1977 180
1978 176
1979 175
1980 152
1981 133
1982 133
1983 134
1984 136
1985 120
1986 129
1987 131
1988 114
1 (rounded to nearest £).

Note: Basic co-responsibility levy has been deducted from 1986: the full additional co-responsibility levy has been deducted in 1988, though in practice producers will receive some refund of this. The amount of levy deducted, per tonne in 1988 values, is as follows: 1986, £4.20; 1987, £4.57; 1988, £8.19.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the United Kingdom intervention price for cereals, at 1988 values, for each year 1975 to 1988, together with the co-responsibility levy, where applicable, which would have been deductable.

Mr. Ryder

The following is the information:

Intervention/buying in prices for feed quality wheat: 1988 values Marketing year beginning in:
£ per tonne
1975 148
1976 157
1977 160
1978 170
1979 167
1980 155
1981 148
1982 149
1983 146
1984 138
1985 128
1986 115
1987 108
1988 98

Notes:

1. Rounded to nearest £1.

2. The prices shown are start of season intervention/buying in prices applicable in the United Kingdom for feed quality grain converted to 1988 prices using the GDP deflator.

3. Prices for 1975 to 1977 were those established under transitional arrangements.

4. Basic co-responsibility levy has been deducted from 1986: the full additional co-responsibility levy has been deducted in 1988, though in practice producers will receive some refund of this. The amount of levy deducted per tonne in 1988 values, is as follows: 1986, £3.76; 1987, £3.75; 1988, £7.06. (Although from 1 January 1989 this will be reduced to £5.57.)

Mr. Paice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what he anticipates will be(a) the United Kingdom and (b) total European Economic Community intervention stocks of cereals at 1 January 1989.

Mr. Ryder

At 13 November 1988 the quantity of unsold intervention stocks held in the Community was 9.9 million tonnes of which 1.4 million tonnes was held in the United Kingdom. I cannot forecast possible changes in these stocks by 1 January, but a note setting out the volume of intervention stocks in the United Kingdom and the EEC is deposited in the Library of the House and is updated monthly.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current annual consumption in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) the European Economic Community of (i) cereals produced within the European Economic Community and (ii) cereals imported from outside the European Economic Community.

Mr. Ryder

The information requested, relating to the past complete marketing year (1987–88) is as follows:

million tones
United kingdom European Economic Community
Consumption of cereals produced within the European Economic Community 19.3 126.6
Consumption of cereals imported from outside the European Economic Community 0.8 8.1

Source: EC Commission Balance Sheet 1987–88.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the total European Economic Community intervention stock levels for cereals, at 1 January in each year from 1975 to 1988.

Mr. Ryder

The unsold intervention stocks, at a date nearest to 1 January for each of the years 1977 to 1988, are as follows. Stock levels for 1975 and 1976 are not available.

Unsold intervention stocks1
Year million tones
1977 22.1
1978 21.1
1979 21.9
1980 22.6
1981 36.7
1982 34.3
1983 39.0
1984 38.9
1985 311.9
1986 416.4
1987 412.9
1988 48.1
1 Source: EC Commission Intervention Stock Tables.
2 EC 9.
3 EC 10.
4 EC 12.

Mr. Paice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the United Kingdom intervention stock levels of cereals in each year, at 1 January, from 1975 to 1988.

Mr. Donald Thompson

The information is as follows:

Tonnes
1975 Nil
1976 Nil
1977 Nil
1978 Nil
1979 20,921
1980 416
1981 619,542
1982 444,853
1983 1,546,194
1984 836,665
1985 2,831,303
1986 5,701,123
1987 3,793,565
1988 1,111,926

Mr. Paice

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the total(a) United Kingdom and (b) European Economic Community cereal harvest in each year from 1975 to 1988.

Mr. Ryder

The information requested is as follows:

Million tones
1United Kingdom 2European Economic Community
1975 13.9 597.1
1976 13.3 590.4
1977 16.7 5103.6
1978 17.3 5116.1
1979 17.4 5113.4
1980 19.5 5119.2
1981 19.6 6122.5
1982 21.9 69131.7
1983 21.3 6123.7
1984 26.6 6151.1
1985 22.5 6138.8

1United Kingdom 2European Economic Community
1986 24.5 7153.8
1987 321.7 3 7154.0
1988 421.0 4 7162.5
1 Source: Annual Review of Agriculture.
2 Source: Agriculture Situation in the Community Reports 1975–87.
3 Forecast.
4 Estimate.
5 EC 9.
6 EC 10.
7 EC 12.