§ Mr. Bruceasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will increase the suckler cow premium to £33.40 per head at the earliest available opportunity.
§ Mr. JoplingThe agreement reached by the Agriculture Council in December on the reform of the beef regime included provision for an increase in the suckler cow premium, which targets support on the specialist beef sector. Now that the changes to the beef intervention system have come into effect and to enable producers to plan for the opening date of the 1987–88 scheme on 15 June, I am pleased to announce that the rate for the coming scheme year will be increased from £24.74 to £33.40 per head. The detailed arrangements for the scheme will be announced shortly.