§ Sir Teddy TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement explaining the total amount spent by the EU on the disposal of fruit and vegetables in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and if he will list the tonnage of each particular fruit and vegetable so disposed of. [90422]
§ Mr. Rooker[pursuant to the reply, 14 July 1999, c. 265]: The Government have no wish to see good food go to waste and have consistently opposed the system of paying compensation for produce withdrawn from the market, arguing that it distorts the market and encourages surpluses. The reform of the EU fruit and vegetable regime in 1996 was a step in the right direction, providing for reductions in withdrawal prices and volumes withdrawn over the first six years of the reform. The reform also encouraged greater use of free distribution to charities and other non-profit making institutions. A considerable amount of produce withdrawn in the UK has been distributed to such bodies in the past year. In 436W addition, it is hoped that it will be possible to distribute fruit to schools in the coming season, following a recent change in the rules which allows transport costs to be claimed.
Provisional quantities of each product withdrawn in the EU during the 1997–98 marketing years:
Tonnes Cauliflowers 172,928 Apricots 16,965 Nectarines 72,688 Peaches 89,616 Lemons 7,866 Tomatoes 240,828 Aubergines 4,050 Pears 86,208 Table grapes 133 Apples 357,615 Satsumas 4,033 Mandarins 1,836 Clementines 68,964 Oranges 144,819 Melons 17,030 Watermelons 6,850 Source:
EU Commission data