§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of beef supplied to service personnel in the British armed forces in the last year and purchased by his Department was purchased(a) from United Kingdom sources, (b) from other European Union sources and (c) from the rest of the world; and if he will make a statement. [40440]
§ Mr. ArbuthnotSince 1 October 1994 the supply of food for the armed services has been the responsibility of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes, NAAFI. My Department does not specify sources from which meat should be obtained, but NAAFI is required to meet the specification and achieve best value for money. The majority of our requirements are, however, for frozen beef which is not readily available from the British market and on cost grounds the majority of meat is sourced from south America and eastern Europe. Nevertheless, some beef including sirloin, foreribs, minced and diced and a range of manufactured products are normally procured from UK sources.
Prior to 1994, beef was purchased directly by my Department, but no records were kept of the quantities sourced by a particular country, although the majority was imported from south America.