§ Sir Donald ThompsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the implications for the United Kingdom's618W traditional suppliers in the Commonwealth Caribbean on the agreement in the Agriculture Council on the Community arrangements for bananas.
§ Mr. CurryThe Agriculture Council agreed, at its meeting in February, a regulation setting up harmonised arrangements for the Community banana market. The negotiations were long and difficult but the final text of the regulation reflects the agreement reached at the December Council on the basis of a United Kingdom presidency compromise.
The new arrangements needed to satisfy a number of objectives: completion of the single market in bananas, compatibility with GATT, the needs of consumers and the Community's legal and moral obligations to the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries under the Lomé convention. Until now, those obligations have been met by the United Kingdom and a small number of member states and we were careful, during the negotiations, not to lose sight of the crucial importance of the banana industry to our traditional suppliers in the Commonwealth Caribbean. The common organisation of the EC banana market which will now be introduced will share the burden of the Lomé obligations among all 12 member states. The agreement will ensure that banana producers in the Caribbean can maintain a viable industry and it has been widely welcomed by them.