§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 23 January.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Howe)My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food represented the UK at this meeting of the Agriculture Council. As he had signalled beforehand, my right honourable friend took the opportunity of this Council to explain the public concern about the transport of farm animals and the conditions in which calves are reared for veal in some member states. My right honourable friend stressed his determination to see that the law requiring freedom of trade is upheld. But my right honourable friend also emphasised the urgent need for the Community as a whole to recognise these concerns, which are being expressed widely, not just in the UK, and to take effective measures as soon as possible to improve the standards for the welfare of farm animals.
I am glad to say that a considerable number of Council members agreed with British concerns. Five Ministers pointed out that, like the UK, they had already banned the use of veal crates. There was wide support for, and no dissent from, our proposal that the review of the directive, planned for 1997, that allows the use of this method should be brought forward. The Agriculture Commissioner, Mr. Fischler, undertook to produce a report as soon as possible. All also agreed to make a determined effort to adopt rules on transport: this will be on the Council's agenda at its next meeting.
The only other substantive debate was on the Commission's proposals for adjusting the support system for sugar. My right honourable friend regretted that the Commission had not seized the opportunity to propose more radical changes. My right honourable friend urged that, in so far as sugar quotas might have to be cut to keep within the GATT limits on subsidised exports, these cuts should be targeted on the surplus-producing member states. My right honourable friend also underlined the need to guarantee adequate supplies of raw sugar for the refining industry. The Council will return to these proposals at its next meeting.
My right honourable friend welcomed the appearance of the Commission's proposal creating a link between 93WA set-aside and arable land taken out of production for environmental and forestry purposes, and urged its speedy adoption.