§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the pigmeat imported from outside the United Kingdom which was purchased for consumption by British service men and women in each of the last three years. [65121]
§ Mr. SpellarThe procurement of food for the Armed Forces is contracted to Booker Foodservice who were selected and took over the contract on 1 October 1997. In the first year of the contract Booker Foodservice imported some £1.45 million worth of pigmeat, representing 50 per cent. of the Armed Forces' requirement for bacon and gammon. The balance of the requirement for bacon and gammon and all of the requirement for pork were obtained from UK sources at a cost of £4.25 million. Unfortunately, the cost of imported pigmeat for the previous two years, when NAAFI held the contract, is not available. We believe, however, that the proportion of imported pigmeat will have been broadly similar to that advised by Booker Foodservice.