§ Mr. Johnasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to introduce a national scheme of support for farmers in evironmentally sensitive areas if he is unsuccessful in persuading his European colleagues to amend the proposed agricultural structures regulation, COM (83) 559, in favour of conservation.
§ Mr. JoplingI am still hopeful of persuading other member states of the Community of the prudence of strengthening the conservation provisions of the EC Commission's draft regulation on agricultural structures. If I do not succeed I shall have to consider what other action would be appropriate.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that the proposed regulation on agricultural structures, COM (83) 559, will represent a fair balance between conservation and agriculture if the United Kingdom's draft amendments to the regulation are not fully accepted by the Council of Ministers.
§ Mr. JoplingI have already stated on a number of occasions that I do not believe that the EC Commission's proposed regulation on agricultural structures pays sufficient regard to conservation, which is why I have proposed certain amendments to it.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to be able to announce new supports for farmers in environmentally sensitive areas permitted under the proposed agricultural structures regulation, COM (83) 559; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JoplingThe EC Commission's proposed regulation on agricultural structures is still being negotiated. I hope that the negotiations will be concluded soon but until they are I am not able to announce my intentions with regard to any of the provisions in the regulation.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he has proposed in the course of the current negotiations on the agricultural structures regulation, 68W COM (83) 559, that an additional clause be added to the regulation empowering member states to withhold grant aid to farmers on the grounds that works may be harmful to the environment.
§ Mr. JoplingThe amendment in question was one of a series of amendments I proposed to the commission's draft regulation on agricultural structures which were designed to strengthen its conservation provisions.
§ Mr. Johnasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether any member state of the European Community has introduced under its national legislation a scheme of assistance to farmers in environmentally sensitive areas; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JoplingThe concept of defining certain areas as environmentally sensitive is mine and I am not aware that this particular approach is used elsewhere in the Community.