asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will make a statement on the extent of current EC food surpluses; and the steps which are proposed to deal with them.
Written Answers. - EC Food Surpluses.
25.
Currently there are about 1.4 million tonnes of butter, I million tonnes of skimmed-milk powder, 590,000 tonnes of beef, 14.7 million tonnes of cereals and 261,000 tonnes of olive oil in community intervention. A range of disposal measures exist in the various sectors for disposing of intervention stock. These include subsidised exports, food aid operations, and subsidised disposal on the Community market. Ireland fully supports these measures and continues to press for even more effective disposal arrangements on the grounds that this is essential if markets are to improve and the CAP to be operated successfully.
Changes made in the CAP earlier this year relating to the milk and cereal sectors and further changes now proposed by the Commission in the milk and beef sectors are designed to limit the further growth of surpluses by creating a better balance between supply and demand.