§ Mr. Derek Pageasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether, in view of the need to use British productive capacity to the full, he will seek to re-negotiate the International Cereals Agreement.
§ Mr. PeartI see no justification at the present time for seeking to re-negotiate the Agreements on cereals concluded by the previous Administration with our main overseas suppliers. These Agreements provide for the maintenance of a fair and reasonable balance between home production and imports and form the basis of our system of minimum import prices for cereals which is of considerable benefit to home producers. Negotiations for wider long-term international arrangements for cereals are shortly, however, to be resumed at Geneva under the G.A.T.T. If such arrangements can be negotiated, they might well replace the provisions of the present bilateral Agreements.