Vol. 567 No. 3
101 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the difference between the price received by the producer and paid by the consumer in respect of dairy, meat and other food products here; the relative comparisons for France, Germany, Holland and Italy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14182/03]
Ireland is a major producer and exporter of agricultural products both processed and in commodity form. As a nation Ireland is one of the most export orientated exporting up to 80% of our agricultural production. The prices received by producers and obtained with retail establishments are dependent on the location of the market, the degree of processing and refinement of the product, the sales or tax regime in place and similar factors. For these reasons among others there is no official database of price differences.
Information received from EUROSTAT and published in my Department's annual review and outlook 2002-03 for comparative price levels at retail level in the EU for 2001 would indicate the following price differentials between member states for certain products. The EU average is 100 in each case:
|
Ireland |
France |
Germany |
Italy |
Netherlands |
|
|
Food |
111 |
110 |
101 |
100 |
96 |
|
Meat |
99 |
116 |
117 |
96 |
112 |
|
Milk, Cheese & Eggs |
118 |
108 |
82 |
117 |
98 |
|
Bread & Cereals |
102 |
105 |
106 |
99 |
90 |
|
Fruit |
120 |
108 |
109 |
101 |
89 |
|
Vegetables |
141 |
113 |
101 |
100 |
97 |
