§ 6. Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the European Economic Community sugar regime.
§ Mr. MarshallDoes my hon. Friend agree that the EC sugar regime is immoral because it encourages overproduction, it forces consumers in the Community to pay well over the world market price and it pauperises the Third world by encouraging dumping? Does he believe that national quotas are consistent with the 1992 philosophy?
§ Mr. CurryI believe that we must make a distinction between the effects of the regime on cane sugar and its effects on beet sugar. It is satisfactory that the Community imports 1.3 million tonnes of raw cane sugar from the developing countries, and that concession is valuable to them. We have never disguised our belief that the price of beet sugar is far too high. We have always argued that the price should be cut. We did so yesterday in the Council of Ministers and we shall continue to press for that reform.
Mr. Andy StewartUnlike my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Mr. Marshall), I believe that British sugar farmers are the best and most efficient in Europe. Will my hon. Friend ensure that, whatever happens to the. sugar regime, there will be no reduction of sugar quotas in Britain?
§ Mr. CurryMy hon. Friend is correct in saying that the United Kingdom is not self-sufficient in sugar: she depends on cane imports for a good half of her supplies. If we are to begin to reform the Community regime and cut quantity, the process should not start in the United Kingdom.