§ Mr. Biffenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the prospects for free trade in ware potatoes within the European Economic Community; and what undertakings have been sought and given that the British main crop will continue to receive the existing plant health protection against Colorado beetle and bacterial ring-rot diseases prevalent on the Continent.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartThere is at present no common policy for potatoes. The Treaty of Accession provides, so long as this continues to be the case, that measures already forming part of a national market organisation at the date of accession may continue to operate. These measures normally include, in the case of the United Kingdom, a ban on imports of maincrop potatoes.
Discussions within the Community on adapting a draft directive on the harmonisation of plant health frontier 129W controls to meet the needs of the new member States are under way. In the meantime, our national plant health import controls will continue.