§ Mr. Forthasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now estimate the impact on dairy farmers' incomes of the quota system combined with recent changes in the prices paid for milk to the producer.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe effect of the quota system and the recent changes in the prices paid for milk on the incomes of dairy farmers will depend upon the adjustments made by producers to their present production systems, and upon the uses made of any resources that are released as a result of these adjustments. It is therefore not possible to make a meaningful estimate of the impact of the changes on the incomes of dairy farmers.
§ Mr. Spellerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if dairy farmers who come to the end of a pre-existing five-year agreement to cease milk production will receive a new quota for future years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe provisions of the draft dairy produce quota regulations now before the House would prevent quota being allocated, except in cases of exceptional hardship, to a holding which was not being used for milk production on 2 April 1984. However, a person taking over a holding to which quota had been allocated would be able to make use of the quota on that holding.