§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the(a) tonnage and (b) value of British beef sold in the United Kingdom during September; and if he will make a statement. [57438]
§ Mr. RookerThis information is not held centrally. However, the market research company Audits of Great Britain conducts a monthly survey of household consumption on behalf of the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC). The latest figures, for the four week period up to 20 September 1998, show that 16,988 tonnes of beef were consumed in this period and expenditure on this beef was £76.5 million. It should be noted that these figures include imported beef but exclude beef consumed in NI, beef used in processing and beef used in the catering sector. Separate information from the MLC suggests that, for the first half of 1998, 79 per cent. of all beef consumed in the UK was home produced, up 7 percentage points on the same period last year.