HC Deb 10 April 2002 vol 383 cc283-4W
Mr. Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of baby food consumed in the UK was organically produced in(a)1990, (b)1995 and (c)2000. [46620]

Mr. Morley

Information published in the MINTEL report—Baby Food and Drinks—October 2000 is as follows:

UK retail sales of organic baby food as a percentage of total baby food and drink market
Year Percentage
1995 1.6
1996 2.3
1997 2.7
1998 3.4
1999 7.5
20001 10.6
1Estimate

Mr. Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of organic food sold in the UK in(a)1987, (b)1992, (c)1997 and (d)2002 was grown in the UK. [46631]

Mr. Morley

Official figures on the split between organic and non-organic food produced in the UK are not available.

However, the following table based on estimates produced by the Soil Association in their Organic Food and Farming Report 2001, shows the proportion of organic sales that are produced in the UK.

Percentage of organic sales produced in the UK
Dairy products 65
Meat 55
Fruit and vegetables 15
Cereals1 20
Eggs 90
1And baked products.

Mr. Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to(a)collect organic food market and production data and (b)track developments in the organic market. [46641]

Mr. Morley

The forthcoming June Agricultural Census will identify farms with organic production or in conversion to organic status. There are also plans to improve the collection of organic data within the Farm Business Survey. Information from other organizations, including the Soil Association, will continue to be used to monitor developments in the organic sector. Further developments on the collection of organic data by the Department will be considered as part of our statistical planning process, but will need to balance the requirements for the information with the additional burdens imposed on survey respondents.

Mr. Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total value was of the organic retail market in the UK in(a)1987, (b)1992, (c)1997 and (d)2002. [46630]

Mr. Morley

Information is not available for earlier years. It is estimated that the retail value of the UK organic food market was of the order of £100 million in 1993–94, £200 million in 1996–97 and £800 million in 2000–01.