Common Agricultural Policy

HC Deb 18 October 1973 vol 861 cc399-403

14. Mr. Marten

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on further progress with the review of the common agricultural policy.

15. Mr. Deakins

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about European Economic Community proposals for reform of the common agricultural policy.

32. Mr. Biffen

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the outcome of the review of the principles and mechanism of the common agricultural policy.

37. Mr. Jay

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made on the review by the European Economic Community of the common agricultural policy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Godber

We are awaiting the report from the Commission on its examination of the common agricultural policy. I understand that this is now unlikely to be considered by the Council of Ministers until next month.

Mr. Marten

Did my right hon. Friend hear the Prime Minister say at the Conservative Party Conference that there should be changes in the common agricultural policy? May the House be told what he had in mind and what changes the Government are proposing so that it can express an opinion on them at the earliest stage, before the Commission and the Community generally get involved?

Mr. Godber

I heard what my right hon. Friend said, in an extremely good speech. On this point I would tell my hon. Friend that until we receive proposals from the Commission it is difficult for us to comment on what should be done. We have made quite clear in Brussels the way in which we want to move. We particularly want to get a proper balance in production so that we do not get unnecessary and expensive surpluses. This is the objective of the Government but there are many different ways in which it can be brought about. Until we get the proposals of the Commission I do not think it is useful to comment.

Mr. Deakins

Does the right hon. Gentleman regard the principle of common financing as sacrosanct, or would he support, if the European Commission proposed such a measure, a move to place the burden of restructuring European agriculture on to those countries which benefited from such a process?

Mr. Godber

The hon. Member will, I am sure, recall that Article 39 of the Treaty of Rome spells out the principles in this respect. They are stated as being free trade between members, common financing and Community preference. These are the three aspects on which the common agricultural policy is founded. The hon. Member has mentioned one of them and it is obviously one of the principles which we have to accept and work within. But within that it should be possible to devise ways which should encourage national Governments to do something to assist with particular problems in areas of farming difficulty. At the same time, we are seeking to achieve a directive which would help the less favoured areas on a Community basis. I would not wish to say that necessarily I want to see this done wholly on a national basis. I want to get a Community basis for some of these things and then perhaps fit in, on a national basis, the additional arrangements which would be helpful.

Mr. Biffen

Is my right hon. Friend aware that he will take with him good will from all quarters of the House in his search for fundamental reforms in the common agricultural policy? Is it not already clear that in that task he will meet the implacable hostility of the farming lobbies of France and the Republic of Ireland? In these circumstances, will he say whether that review would be subject to a French national veto?

Mr. Godber

I am always grateful for the good will of this House in all the activities that I have to carry on. While I acknowledge the point my hon. Friend has made about the CAP, I think we must see what proposals come forward. Obviously, any one of the member Governments can resist anything which they claim is against their national interest. That is open to all of us. The way in which we usually try to proceed is by consensus. I hope that we can get a reasonable consensus for amendments to this policy.

Mr. Jay

In view of the promises we had about reforming this organisation from within, is it really true that the British Government have not made any proposals for fundamental reform? If they have, will the right hon. Gentleman tell us what they are?

Mr. Godber

The right hon. Gentleman will appreciate that proposals have to come from the Commission, and then the Council of Ministers deals with them. This is the practice in the Community. This does not mean that we cannot feed in ideas at different levels, which of course we do, as do all delegations. But no formal communication has been made by any Government on this point. It is a matter dealt with in informal discussions prior to the Commission producing its proposals.

Mr. Jay

indicated dissent.

Mr. Godber

This is the normal way of functioning in the Community, and however much the right hon. Gentleman shakes his head that is the situation. If he does not approve, I suggest that the Labour Party should send delegates to Strasbourg and help to change the situation.

Mrs. Kellett-Bowman

Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is nothing whatever in the common agricultural policy to prevent him from helping milk producers now over the price of feeding stuffs? Does he further accept that the majority of milk producers in my constituency are small hill farmers, for whom the next six months will be critical? Is he aware that there will be no surplus of milk in my part of the world if we do not get some assistance before the Price Review?

Mr. Godber

My hon. Friend is rightly concerned about one aspect of farming at present which worries all of us concerned with the industry. We have given careful thought to ways in which we could help and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has seen the leader of the farmers' union about it. It would be wrong to say that we can introduce measures between Price Reviews. The important thing is to observe that the opportunities for milk producers will be continually improving over the next few years and that they have had two good years. Although they have a difficult six months ahead, I ask them to look at this picture as a whole.

Mr. Shore

Surely the Minister understands, if he is to be taken seriously in the negotiations in Brussels on the CAP, that it is not good enough to start off with the proposition that we simply accept the so-called fundamentals in the CAP—which are Community preference and common finance—because these are the very pillars of the policy and they are the great disadvantages from which we suffer. Will he bring the whole issue of the reform of the CAP before the House so that we can express to him, and through him to Brussels, our views on the reform of the CAP before he enters any serious negotiations?

Mr. Godber

The right hon. Gentleman must surely recall that on more than one occasion during the summer I have said that we accept the principles to which he was referring. We believe that there is plenty of scope within those principles to make adjustments which will help to bring about a proper balance. This is the way we seek to achieve a change and this is the sensible way to approach the matter.