HC Deb 15 March 1991 vol 187 cc706-7W
Mr. Ralph Howell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average price of common wheat received by the producer in the United Kingdom, Germany and France(a) in national currency and (b) converted to £ sterling at the market rates prevailing on the latest date for which this information is available.

Mr. Curry

The national averages of market prices provided by the Commission of the European Communities for the week ending Saturday 23 February 1991, converted to pound sterling using spot rate values for 22 February, are set out in the table.

Breadmaking wheat Feed wheat
National currency per tonne £ per tonne National currency per tonne £ per tonne
United Kingdom (£) 137 137 126 126
Germany (DM) 391 134 381 130
France (FF) 1,276 128 n./a. n./a.

Mr. Ralph Howell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average on-farm selling price of wheat in the United Kingdom for each of the years from 1979 to 1990 in actual and real terms, and also at constant prices, showing the 1979 price as 100.

Mr. Curry

Average prices received by cereal producers are shown in the following table together with the all-items retail prices index. Average prices in real terms have been derived by dividing the average prices by the RPI and re-expressing with 1979 = 100. It is not meaningful to refer to prices "at constant prices".

Calendar year Average price (£ per tonne) Retail Price Index (1985 = 100) Average prices in real terms (1979 = 100)
1979 95.9 59.9 100.0
1980 99.3 70.7 87.7
1981 108.9 79.1 86.0
1982 113.7 85.9 82.7
1983 124.8 89.8 86.8
1984 114.6 94.3 75.9
1985 112.2 100.0 70.1
11986 111.1 103.4 67.1
1987 112.1 107.7 65.0
1988 105.1 113.0 58.1
1989 104.7 121.8 53.7
21990 109.5 133.3 51.3
1 From 1986, the prices quoted are net of co-responsibility levy.
2 Forecast.