EC EXTENDS PARTS OF FREE FOOD FOR POOR SCHEME
A scheme to distribute surplus food
free to the poor in the European Community (EC), which was due
to expire next Tuesday, will be partially extended for a
further month, an EC Commission spokesman said.
    He added the executive Commission has not yet decided
whether the scheme should become a permanent feature of the
EC's struggle to find a use for its massive stocks of farm
produce.
    Almost 60,000 tonnes of cereals, sugar, beef, butter and
other food have been authorised for distribution under an
operation sanctioned by EC farm ministers on January 20 in
which charities act as executive Commission agents.
    The original idea was to help the needy survive this year's
unusually cold European winter.
    The spokesman said the Commission was extending the scheme
fully in Greece, which has recently been hit by unseasonal
snowstorms, for the month of April.
    Other EC countries would be authorised to use stocks of
food for which they have already applied under the scheme up to
April 30. The spokesman said this would enable distribution of
flour, semolina, sugar and olive oil at a relatively high rate
next month.
    He said the Commission, which has powers to continue most
aspects of the scheme without consulting ministers further,
will be considering soon whether it should be made permanent.
    Cost, which has already reached around 65 mln European
currency units, would be a major consideration.
    End-January stocks included 1.28 mln tonnes of butter,
520,000 tonnes of beef and over 10 mln tonnes of cereals.
 REUTER
