Written question asked by Robert Flello (Labour) on Monday, 15 November 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 17 November 2010. It was answered by James Paice (Conservative) on Monday, 22 November 2010 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Paraguay: Imports

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made a recent estimate of the quantity of soy imported from Paraguay (a) directly and (b) through a third country (i) raw and (ii) incorporated into a product in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answer: Since my statement to the House on 12 November 2010, Official Report, columns 589-604, I have been made aware that, according to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, a shipment of 25,000 tonnes of soy beans arrived in the UK from Paraguay in April 2010. This should be seen in the context of total UK imports of 1.2 million tonnes of soy bean meal and 556,000 tonnes of soy beans in the latest period for which figures are available (January to September 2010). There are no recorded imports from Paraguay of food products containing soy extract in the latest period for which figures are available.

Secondary information