HC Deb 12 January 1993 vol 216 cc718-20W
Dr. Strang

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the producers' and dairy trades' respective proportionate shares of final retail values, milk prices, for each milk marketing board and their trade counterparts throughout the United Kingdom for each year since 1974.

Mr. Gummer

It is not possible to provide a full reply in the form requested. The Government ceased setting maximum retail prices for milk in 1981 and 1984 for

Table 1 Wholesale producers? average net price (pence per litre)
Milk marketing year April to March England and Wales Board Scottish Board Aberdeen and District Board North of Scotland Board Northern Ireland Board
1974–75 6.362 6.390 6.300 6.379 5.959
1975–76 7.956 7.880 7.867 7.905 7.628
1976–77 9.400 9.450 9.324 9.487 9.010
1977–78 9.985 9.930 9.985 10.275 9.640
1978–79 10.587 10.590 10.815 10.424 10.217
1979–80 11.560 11.800 11.907 11.684 11.361
1980–81 12.701 13.200 13.257 13.118 11.413
1981–82 13.732 14.400 14.044 13.978 12.954
1982–83 14.778 15.021 15.023 14.121 14.100
1983–84 14.666 15.058 15.326 14.587 14.266
1984–85 14.574 15.284 14.947 14.515 13.926
1985–86 15.415 16.194 15.609 15.502 14.423
1986–87 15.805 16.500 15.955 15.913 14.720
1987–88 16.301 17.575 16.705 16.719 15.127
1988–89 17.663 18.336 18.114 18.102 16.532
1989–90 18.937 20.112 19.672 19.819 17.873
1990–91 18.943 20.143 19.169 18.954 16.568
1991–92 19.716 20.466 19.847 19.279 17.914

Source: "UK Diary Facts and Figures" published by the Federation of United Kingdom Milk Marketing Boards.

Table 2 Milk Marketing Boards' average net returns for milk sold by them for human consumption (pence per litre)
Milk marketing year April to March England and Wales Board Scottish Board Aberdeen and District Board North of Scotland Board Northern Ireland Board
1974–75 5.370 5.262 5.224 5.117 5.098
1975–76 5.938 5.592 5.802 5.862 5.602
1976–77 8.367 8.268 8.198 8.197 8.256
1977–78 11.283 11.208 11.099 11.127 10.826
1978–79 12.464 12.467 12.456 12.442 12.192
1979–80 13.589 13.600 13.594 13.560 13.318
1980–81 15.334 15.718 15.698 15.673 15.476
1981–82 16.391 17.117 17.097 17.057 16.596
1982–83 17.589 18.187 18.167 18.086 17.829
1983–84 17.771 18.551 18.540 18.560 18.020
1984–85 18.323 18.925 18.911 18.914 18.552
1985–86 19.176 19.823 19.841 19.812 19.388
1986–87 19.835 20.475 20.472 20.469 20.054
1987–88 20.731 21.348 21.347 21.333 20.907
1988–89 21.287 21.892 21.904 21.889 21.538
1989–90 22.842 23.199 23.209 23.285 22.453
1990–91 23.914 24.111 24.043 24.174 23.585
1991–92 24.759 24.745 24.752 24.745 24.674

Source: "UK Dairy Facts and Figures" published by the Federation of United Kingdom Milk Marketing Boards.

The figures for Northern Ireland are shown net of a consumer subsidy which applied from 1981 to 1988. The Northern Ireland figures for 1981–82 and 1982–83 were obtained from the Northern Ireland Milk Marketing Board.

Table 3 Maximum retail price for liquid milk (pence per litre)
Calender Year Maximum retail price1
1974 8.799
1975 14.958
1976 16.718
1977 20.238
1978 23.757
1979 26.397

Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom respectively. Since then, retail pricing has been a matter for dairy companies and retailers.

The average net prices paid to producers by each milk marketing board, each board's average net return for milk sold by it for human liquid consumption and the maximum retail prices for the relevant years are as follows:

Calender Year Maximum retail price1
1980 29.916
1981 32.556
1982 36.956
1983 36.956
1984 38.715
1 Retail price control of milk ended in Scotland on 30 September 1981 and in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on 31 December 1984.

All figures listed are year end prices.

Source: "UK Dairy Facts and Figures" published by the Federation of United Kingdom Milk Marketing Boards.

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