§ Mr. Maclennanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that the proposed claw-back of guarantee on ewes exported should be rescinded in view of the concern of farmers that such sheep have never been in receipt of any guarantee payment; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. YoungerThe terms of the provisional agreement on the EEC sheep regime, reached at the 28–30 May Council of Agriculture Ministers, include a charge on exports of sheepmeat and live sheep, other than pure bred breeding animals, of an amount equivalent to the variable premium.
The detailed rules for payment of the variable premium, including the clawback charge on exports, have yet to be negotiated with the Commission and the other Member States, but our aim is to secure arrangements which are both practicable and fair.