§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he intends to put forward at the world summit on social development to prevent the dumping of subsidised European Union agricultural products in developing countries.
Mr. HoggThe world summit on social development will deal with issues relevant to all UN members and not focus on specific EU policies. We believe it is important to reduce EU surpluses which damage the agricultural economies and industries of developing countries. The reforms of the common agricultural policy, begun in 1992, have already gone a long way towards reducing surplus agricultural production which led to the subsidising of exports to world markets. The United Kingdom continues to press for further reforms, including continuing reductions in support prices, leading to a more market-oriented CAP.