§ 10. Mr. Phillip Oppenheimasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he will take to encourage the European Economic Community to extend the more flexible dairy quota scheme beyond an initial one-year period.
§ Mr. GummerThe Commission has not proposed extending this provision. We shall need to consider very carefully our position on this, because I see some difficulty in justifying the continuation of a measure which limits the effectiveness of the quota system while we still have a 14½ million tonne surplus of milk.
§ Mr. OppenheimI welcome the Government's success in encouraging the European Economic Community to accept the principle of flexibility, but will my right hon. Friend commit himself to pushing as hard as possible for that flexibility to be extended beyond the first year, because that is essential for the efficiency of the dairy sector?
§ Mr. GummerThe flexibility which is important is the ability to lease or to buy quotas. That is the flexibility which we particularly need and which we have not yet won.