The destruction of more than a million tonnes of food in the European Union has been branded an "absolute outrage" by Rochford and Southend East MP Sir Teddy Taylor

Sir Teddy spoke out after being told in the Commons by Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett that some 1.3million tonnes of fruit and vegetables were "withdrawn" from the EU market between April 1, 2000 and March 31, 2001.

She said in a Commons reply that just under 10,000 tonnes of this was withdrawn in the UK, ten per cent of which was distributed free or used for animal feed.

Sir Teddy said: "At a time when there is so much starvation and hunger in the world, it is an absolute outrage that millions of pounds are being spent in destroying this food."

The figures included 269,000 tonnes of apples, 255,000 tonnes of peaches and 153,000 tonnes of tomatoes.

He said: "These were destroyed for the sole purpose of keeping prices up in the EU. They subsidise farmers to grow these items and then give them more subsidy to destroy them."

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