HC Deb 02 July 1992 vol 210 cc947-8
2. Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to assist agricultural workers who are made redundant; and if he will make a statement.

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Mr. David Curry)

Agricultural workers are able to benefit from the same statutory provisions as all other workers.

Mr. Kirkwood

Does the Minister accept that as a direct result of decisions taken this week at the Agriculture Ministers Council meeting, significantly more farm and other agricultural workers will lose their jobs? Does he accept that those workers are just as deserving, in their own way, as the miners and steelworkers who received enhanced redundancy packages when their industries were run down? Will he carefully consider the possibility of enhanced redundancy packages for farm workers who can show that they have lost their jobs as a direct result of CAP reform?

Mr. Curry

The hon. Gentleman must realise that had it not been for the campaign waged by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food against the MacSharry proposals, many British farmers would have been unable to continue to exist. Those farmers employ many agricultural workers. When the Liberal Democrats discussed the matter, they said that a little bit of nuancing would be enough to satisfy the United Kingdom. I do not think that nuancing would have saved many jobs.

Mr. John Greenway

Does my hon. Friend agree that we need a viable and confident agriculture industry to halt the scale of redundancies in the agricultural sector? In order to ensure that there is that viability and confidence, we must end all discriminatory practices. Will my hon. Friend think again about the derogation of slaughterhouse regulations, which is likely to add to the dole queues in the farming industry?

Mr. Curry

We are anxious to do all that we can to ensure that the whole food industry, from primary production to the supermarkets, can obtain the maximum added value and the maximum employment. We have an outstanding primary production sector and a significant export trade, and the more that we can do to ensure that they operate on a level playing field, the better that is for employment. We are committed to that.