§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) of 17 October, Official Report, column 142, what was the nature of the French memorandum briefly discussed in any other business at the Agriculture Council meeting in Brussels on 20 September; and what were the French proposals on the future of European agriculture.
§ Mr. JackThe memorandum, tabled by the French Agriculture Minister, is entitled "Ambitions for European Agriculture". It includes various ideas on the implementation of GATT obligations in relation to market access and exports, and points to the need both for further simplification of the common agricultural policy and for greater stress on subsidiarity. The memorandum also argues for a reduction in the set-aside rate for 1994–95, which was the subject of a Commission proposal discussed at the Council on 24-25 October.