§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Lord Privy Seal (1) if he has accepted the European Economic Community common customs tariff of 18 per cent. on dead poultry;
(2) if he will insist on a nil tariff on wheat flour for the common customs tariff in the negotiations in Brussels in view of the importance of keeping prices of bread low in the United Kingdom, protecting Commonwealth producers and securing the most efficient production of this basic food;
33W(3) what common customs tariff he is prepared to accept on cereals in the Brussels negotiations; and to what extent he has emphasised to the Six the importance of low cost imports of cereals into the United Kingdom, in view of the needs of British dairy farmers:
(4) what estimate he has now made in the negotiations for Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community of the effect of the acceptance of the Common Market agricultural policy on British farmers producing eggs; and to what extent he has presented this to the Six;
(5) what estimate he has now made of the effect of the European Economic Community agricultural policy on British farmers producing pigs; and to what extent he has presented this to the Six;
(6) what estimate he has made of the additional cost of producing eggs in the United Kingdom if Great Britain accepts the Common Market agricultural policy and higher cereal prices; and to what extent he has discussed the implications of this with the Six in the negotiations;
(7) to what extent he has now argued in the Brussels negotiations that the applications of the Common Market agricultural policy must be gradual; and what success he has now achieved;
(8) what further proposals he has now made in the Brussels negotiations regarding the continuance for a transitional period of deficiency payments for British farmers after Great Britain joins the Common Market; and whether he has now succeeded in obtaining acceptance of this policy;
(9) what estimate he has now made of the price of barley if Great Britain joins the Common Market; and what transition arrangements he has requested for British farmers;
(10) if he has now demanded an extension beyond 1970 of deficiency payments for pig meat; and what was the result of the negotiations with the Six on this subject.
§ Mr. HeathWe have accepted that the common agricultural policy must apply in full to the United Kingdom by the end of a transitional period. We are at present negotiating on how our existing system is to be adapted and what the length of the tran-34W sitional period for the United Kingdom should be so as to achieve this result. I am unable to disclose the details of our proposals at the present stage but they are designed to take account of both British producer and consumer interests and those of the Commonwealth countries concerned.
We have repeatedly made it clear in the negotiations that, in our view, the transition should be as smooth as possible and adequate time allowed for it. Until the ultimate harmonised price levels of the enlarged Community have been decided, however, we shall not know precisely how much these price increases will be during the transitional period nor their precise effect on producers.
The levy system has replaced tariffs on poultry meat, cereals, and cereal products both in intra-Community trade and in trade with third countries.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on his participation in the special study group on agriculture established by the Six and the United Kingdom; what memoranda he has presented; and whether he is satisfied that the outcome of the committee's deliberations meets Great Britain's requirements and resolves outstanding differences with the French Government.
§ Mr. HeathI shall be making a statement to the House shortly on the progress of the negotiations as a whole, including the work of the Mansholt Committee.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Lord Privy Seal what study he has made of the extent to which acceptance of the Common Market agricultural policy conflicts with the Agriculture Act, 1947; whether he has made the results of his study clear to the Six; and if he will make a statement on the negotiations in relation to this matter.
§ Mr. HeathAs I said in my opening statement on 10th October, 1961, the agricultural objectives of the Treaty of Rome are in line with the objectives of our own agricultural policy, of which the Agriculture Act, 1947, forms the basis. If we adopt the common agricultural policy of the Community some of the mechanisms for achieving these 35W objectives in the United Kingdom will have to change. Therefore, one of out aims in the negotiations is to ensure that these objectives would continue to be achieved in the enlarged Community both during the transitional period and in the common market stage. During the negotiations, we have made clear to the Community what steps we consider necessary to arrive at this result and on some points, as I have reported to the House, agreement has already been reached. On other points, however, negotiations are still in progress, and I shall continue to keep the House informed.
§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Lord Privy Seal what reply he sent to the United States Secretary for Agriculture to his representations regarding the effect of Great Britain's application on the protectionist nature of the Common Market's agricultural policy.
§ Mr. HeathThe views which the United States Government have expressed to the European Economic Community on this subject do not call for a reply from Her Majesty's Government.