HC Deb 30 April 1998 vol 311 cc243-4W
13. Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what savings in the EU agriculture budget he will propose in discussions in the Council of Ministers on CAP reform. [39121]

Mr. Rooker

The Government will continue to press for CAP reforms which deliver lower prices to consumers in the short term and savings to taxpayers in due course.

Mr. Andrew George

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. [39120]

Dr. John Cunningham

The European Commission's proposals go very much in the direction the Government have been advocating, and build on the 1992 reforms which began to shift aid from production support to income support.

24. Sir Teddy Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he plans to put to the Council of Ministers for the reform of the CAP during the UK presidency. [39132]

Mr. Rooker

The European Commission presented its formal legislative proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to the Agriculture Council on 31 March. In many respects, these proposals go very much in the direction that the Government have advocated. The Government will progress discussion of these proposals as far as possible during the UK Presidency and will therefore seek to negotiate an outcome which reflects UK priorities.

25. Mr. Lansley

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the impact of CAP reform on the next round of World Trade Organisation talks. [39134]

Mr. Rooker

The Government believe the Agenda 2000 proposals for CAP reform are a welcome step in the right direction. The proposals will generally address the problems which arise from the EU's current WTO commitments, concluded as part of the GATT Uruguay Round. We do not, however, feel they prepare fully for the next round of agricultural liberalisation negotiations in the WTO, which are due to start at the turn of the century.

26. Sir Michael Spicer

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the reform of methods of payment to farmers in the proposals of the European Commission to reform the CAP. [39136]

Mr. Rooker

The European Commission's proposals for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy go very much in the direction the Government have been advocating, and build on the 1992 reforms which began to shift aid from production support to income support. However, we are disappointed that there is no time-limit or degressivity for compensatory aids.