Written question asked by Adam Price (Plaid Cymru) on Tuesday, 17 May 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 May 2005. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Monday, 23 May 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Meat Contracts

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the monetary value of (a) beef and (b) lamb supply contracts for his Department was in each year since 1997, broken down by contracts with (i) Welsh suppliers, (ii) suppliers in the rest of the UK and (iii) suppliers outside the UK.

Answer: The Ministry of Defence's food supply contractor (3663) is mandated to purchase British products whenever they are competitive within the constraints of Article 30 of the EC Treaty of Rome, and where they meet the armed forces food specifications.For beef supplied to the armed forces in the UK from 1997 to 2004 the average annual value was £6 million. Annually, between 1997 and 2001—£3.1 million was of UK origin, with approximately £1.9 million from Welsh and English sources, and £1.2 million from Scottish sources. The remaining £2.9 million was non-UK. Annually, between 2002 and 2004, £2.2 million was of UK origin, with approximately £0.7 million from Welsh and English sources, and £1.5 million from Scottish sources. The remaining £3.8 million was non-UK.For lamb supplied to the armed forces in the UK, from 1997 to 2004 the average annual value was £1.61 million. Annually, between 1997 and 2004—£0.07 million was of UK origins. The remaining £1.54 million was non-UK.No further breakdown is available on beef and lamb as suppliers do not maintain detailed statistics.

Secondary information