§ 3. Mr. Strangasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give at least 12 months' notice of the date on which the cereals guarantees will end.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartNo, Sir. Any decision to abolish the guarantees for cereals is likely to be taken immediately after the annual review and thus well in advance of the succeeding crop year to which it would apply. The guarantees must be ended when producers' incomes from Community prices in the United Kingdom exceed those from the guarantees.
§ Mr. StrangI think the Minister means when they exceed the "intervention prices". Will he give the assurance that as long as the producers' average returns are higher than the corresponding intervention prices the Government will not withdraw the deficiency payments on cereals? If he cannot give that assurance, will he at least assure us that if he is not required to remove them under Article 54 of the Treaty of Accession he will give 12 months' notice of any unilateral decision by the British Government to remove them?
§ Mr. StodartAs the hon. Member knows, the guarantees have to be phased out, and they will go as soon as the United Kingdom intervention price equals or exceeds the guarantees. Of course, the intervention prices here rise each year as the compensatory amounts are phased out.