Séamus Pattison (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the commodities in which the European Union is sufficient; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12227/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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In 2003, the most recent year for which fully comparable EUROSTAT statistics are available, the EU was more than self-sufficient in terms of foodstuffs for the 15 member states. In the case of cereals, the EU was 114% self-sufficient; the only exception below 100% self-sufficiency for individual cereal commodities was rice. For all forms of meat, the EU was 106% self-sufficient; the only commodity below 100% self-sufficiency was sheep and goat meat. For other major commodities such as milk, eggs, and potatoes, the EU was over 100% self-sufficient.

It should be noted that EU Commission estimates for individual commodities can provide more recent data, for example, their production and consumption estimates for the period 2005-06 show that net beef and veal self-sufficiency for the EU 15 members has fallen below the 100% threshold.