§ Mr. BeardTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the current worldwide balance of supply and demand is for food; and what estimate he has made of what it would be if Northern American and Western European 213W agricultural demand switched to organic produce in the proportions (a) 5 per cent., (b) 10 per cent. and (c) 20 per cent. [83891]
§ Mr. MorleyDetails of current and future trends in global production and consumption of agricultural commodities can be found in the OECD publication `Agricultural Outlook 1999–2004'.
Aspects of possible futures for agriculture in 2020 and 2050, including different levels of low-input and organic farming, are being addressed as part of a project at Sussex University. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is funding the researchers to develop a number of socio-economic scenarios as an aid to climate change studies. The work is due to report by autumn this year.