Tony Killeen
Question:54 Mr. Killeen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if the EC has considered distributing some of its intervention food stocks to famine-stricken areas; and if it has a policy in this area.
Written Answers. - Intervention Food Stocks.
In supplying food aid to developing countries, the nutritional needs of recipient people are of paramount importance. The choice of food aid products is determined by these needs rather than by the types of food that are in surplus at any given time in the Community. Care has also to be taken not to put farmers in the recipient countries out of business, thus risking future food shortages. For this reason and where possible, food is purchased locally rather than imported from Europe.
In practice, use is often made in EC food aid programmes of products held in intervention stores, particularly skimmed milk powder, butteroil and cereals. Under the EC's regular food aid programme, millions of pounds worth of cereals, milk powder and other food are supplied to developing countries every year. Last year for example, in response to Southern Africa's worst drought in decades and severe food shortages in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere, the European Community gave nearly two million tonnes of food to the worst affected countries.