GATT (Hansard, 21 February 1991)

§ 9. Mr. Knapman
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he is next due to meet his EC counterparts to discuss the Community's attitude towards agricultural measures in the context of the GATT round talks.

§ Mr. Gummer
The Agriculture Council regularly reviews progress in the GATT negotiations, and I expect it to do so on 4 and 5 March.

§ Mr. Knapman
My right hon. Friend is a doughty fighter in Europe for British industry. He has heard today the many concerns about the cost, waste, fraud and protectionism associated with the present CAP. Does he agree that there should be an early resumption of the GATT round of talks? Perhaps it is time for delegates to be locked in a room until they reach agreement.

§ Mr. Gummer
I am sure that my hon. Friend agrees that the announcement today that resumption looks likely is very encouraging. I wholly agree that we shall get a solution to the GATT round only if those participating stop addressing themselves to the columns of newspapers and sit down in a conference room at a table from which they do not get up until they have found a solution.

§ Mr. Cryer
What influence can the Minister bring to bear on the EEC to make sure that there is a resolution of the conflict in the GATT round? As he well knows, the GATT round of talks is crucial not only to agriculture but to other industries, notably the textile industry which in Bradford in my constituency faces difficulties because of high interest rates. The uncertainty of the GATT round indicates a difficult and dark future. Can the Minister tell the House what influence, if any, he can and will bring to bear in the European Community?

§ Mr. Gummer
I am happy to agree with the hon. Gentleman's analysis. I think that he will agree that it is the British attitude which has very much won the support of the European Community. It is we who got the Community to put its proposals to the GATT round. We have kept the Community at that negotiating table and we have supported the Commission in fighting to negotiate on those terms. We have also stopped those in the Community who wish to resile from those negotiations from succeeding. Britain can say that the successes so far are based upon British initiative and support.

§ Mr. Bellingham
Is the Minister aware that the CAP is lurching from crisis to crisis? Is he also aware that the future will be very bleak indeed when the EEC is extended by Poland and Hungary coming in, which will lead to even greater pressures on the CAP? Is he really telling the House that he has not looked at the possibility of withdrawing completely from it and repatriating our agricultural payments?

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The question is about GATT, not CAP.

§ Mr. Maclean
Our way to deal with the CAP is through the GATT round, because the GATT round will enable us to liberalise trade much more widely. The common agricultural policy is part of the basis of the European Community. We need to reform it and to change it, but not to suggest that there can be a Europe which does not have a common agricultural policy, which would be to run totally contrary to the facts of the matter.