HL Deb 20 May 1988 vol 497 cc633-4WA
The Earl of Swinton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the outcome of the Council of Agriculture Ministers' meeting on 16th and 17th May in Brussels.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Trumpington)

The Council of Agriculture Ministers met in Brussels on 16th and 17th May 1988. My right honourable friend the Minister represented the United Kingdom.

The Council pursued discussion of the Commission's price proposals for 1988–89 without reaching conclusions, and will resume this discussion at its next meeting.

The Council addressed in particular the need to decide on new terms for charging the cereals co-responsibility levy, to reflect the decisions of the European Council, in southern member states from 1st June since their harvest begins in that month. The Council considered a Commission proposal which included provision for small producers to be exempted from the levy on the basis of present arrangements, which allow national discretion, for one further year, but on the basis of a Community definition thereafter. My right honourable friend and a majority of his colleagues decided that the question of a Community definition needed to be studied further, and the Council came close to unanimous agreement on amending the proposal so as to leave this question open while making the arrangements necessary for applying the basic and additional co-responsibility levy in the southern member states from 1st June. Reservations by Denmark and Greece prevented for the time being the unanimity required for this amendment.

In the absence of agreement on prices for the next marketing years the Council took decisions to extend the marketing years for beef and milk by a further month.

The Council adopted an amendment to the new directive on the use of hormones in animals and meat, providing that animals treated for a therapeutic or management purpose and the meat of such animals may be traded within the Community provided the hormone treatment has been withdrawn for a certain period before export or slaughter.