asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's view of the suggestion that all food stocks held in intervention by the EEC, and by Ireland in particular, should be donated for the relief of starvation in the Third World; and if he is satisfied with a situation where food is hoarded for higher prices while people are dying of hunger.
Written Answers . - EEC Food Stocks .
178.
: The disposal of intervention stocks is a matter for the EEC rather than for the individual member states.
The EEC and Ireland are already making sizeable food aid contributions to the Third World, both from intervention stocks and otherwise. The Community operate food aid programmes in cereals, skimmed milk powder and butteroil for which, in 1978, a total allocation of 223.7 million EUA has been made. In addition Ireland also contributes bilaterally to the World Food Programme. In 1978, for example, Ireland has pledged £500,000 to the programme in the form of skimmed milk powder and canned meat.
There are, however, other considerations. It is essential, for example, for proper use of food aid for development purposes that it be planned on a multi-annual basis as severe fluctuations in quantities can cause serious hardship to recipient countries. The level of intervention stocks over a long period cannot be foreseen and this seriously impairs their usefulness for food aid purposes. Moreover, some Community intervention stocks are not suitable for food aid. It would be undesireable if a continuous flow of food aid to the Third World were to become dependent on the continued existence of intervention stocks which cannot be regarded as a permanent feature in the EEC.