§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if British beef is purchased by the armed forces for their own consumption in the United Kingdom. [198]
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§ Mr. ArbuthnotThe procurement of food for the armed forces is contracted to the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes—NAAFI. My Department does not specify the source of origin from which the NAAFI should obtain beef—or any other meat—but expects it to seek the best market price for the product. There are no constraints on the choice of British meat products, which are considered equally with meat products sourced generally in the open market. The majority of our requirements are, however, for frozen beef which is not readily available from the British market and I understand that on cost grounds the majority of beef joints have been sourced from South America, predominantly Brazil and Uruguay, although a range of beef products including sirloin, foreribs, minced and diced beef are normally procured in the UK along with other meat and poultry produce.