HC Deb 09 December 1976 vol 922 cc612-4
11. Mr. Michael Latham

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the progress of implementation of the White Paper "Food from Our Own Resources."

Mr. John Silkin

The Government stand firmly by the objectives set out in the White Paper, and we are determined to maintain the basis for further expansion in line with it.

Mr. Latham

To assist Britain's agriculture and in the light of some of the right hon. Gentleman's answers today, will he confirm that he and all his colleagues in the Ministry are fully behind and in full interior concert in supporting, the decision of the British people to remain in the Common Market?

Mr. Silkin

The hon. Gentleman speaks of the decision of the British people to remain in the Common Market. I notice that the Question is about the White Paper "Food from Our Own Resources" which, of course, was written before the renegotiation took place and, as the White Paper itself said, was capable of being operated in either circumstance.

Mrs. Dunwoody

Will my right hon. Friend continue to press strongly for the sort of expansion envisaged in "Food from Our Own Resources" and resist any attempt from our partners in the EEC to damage our own expansion? It is in this way that we can protect the interests not only of the farming community but of the consumer from the highly damaging and totally unrealistic milk and fisheries policies of the EEC.

Mr. Silkin

My hon. Friend, as always, puts her finger on the important point. In the present discussions on the milk action programme in Brussels I am asked to concede that such measures shall be taken as will make an effective 10 per cent. cut in dairy production throughout the Community, willy-nilly, but there are large areas of the Community which are thoroughly inefficient in dairy farming, where it should be scrapped. There are areas—our own, in particular—where the dairy industry should expand. If we expand our dairy industry by the most up-to-date and modern methods it benefits the consumer, because he gets its products cheaper.

Mr. Watt

Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that instead of getting an expansion of production he will shortly get a contraction unless he does something about the green pound? Does he appreciate that many farmers are contemplating putting their farms on a care-and-maintenance basis until the Government come to their senses? Will he at last see the sense of the proposal that I made to him months ago, that he should revalue the green pound by 1 per cent. a month?

Mr. Silkin

I do not want to be patronising, but the hon. Gentleman could usefully spend his time examining, first, what the green pound is all about and, secondly, what has happened to milk production. Last month, there was an increase, effectively, of 2p a gallon to the producer, which was made without the operation of the green pound.

Mr. Peyton

We are very glad to know that the right hon. Gentleman is still able to speak so favourably of the document "Food from Our Own Resources", but will he reassure the House by saying how he proposes to catch up with the target laid down in Table 2 of that paper, because we have fallen far behind the target set? What specific measures has he in mind?

Mr. Silkin

I shall not go into a long theological argument with the right hon. Gentleman about the use of the word "target". In fact, it is not a target; it is a projection. It arose because it was worked out with the industry itself, as one which was realistically capable of expansion. In the past few years, we have had, first, a bad drought and, secondly, the worst drought for 500 years. The drought was bound to have its effect. In fact, "Food from Our Own Resources" refers to taking one year with another. I understand that the EDC on Agriculture is already going into the question. We should be catching up relatively soon—assuming that there is such a thing as a normal year in farming, which sometimes I doubt—and should be absolutely ahead of what the right hon. Gentleman calls a target by the early 1980s.