§ Lord Evans of Parksideasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 28 September. [HL3506]
§ Lord DonoughueMy right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the European Union Agriculture Council in Brussels on 28 September.
The Council held a first debate on a Commission proposal to reform the EU wine regime. My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food welcomed many elements in the proposal, in particular measures to redirect EU production away from its traditional reliance on market intervention and towards improved quality and competitiveness. However he questioned the need to increase the budgetary cost of the wine regime in order to achieve those ends.
The Council also debated the impact of the crisis in Russia on EU agricultural markets, and invited the Commission to keep the position under constant scrutiny in view of the importance of the Russian market for EU agricultural exports. More generally, the Commission circulated updated market forecasts for the principal EU agricultural commodities in the period up to 2005, forecasts which will form part of the Council's consideration of proposals to reform the Common Agricultural Policy within the framework of Agenda 2000.
In the context of CAP reform my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food introduced in the Council a paper prepared jointly with Italian, Swedish and Danish colleagues which proposes a mechanism and a timetable for the removal of milk quotas by 2006. He collectively called for the paper to be examined in detail as part of the ongoing Agenda 2000 negotiations.
Discussion of the proposal to improve the welfare of laying hens revealed continuing differences amongst member states over the desirability of the measure, and the economic effect of the proposal if implemented. In common with several other member states, my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food stressed the UK view that the EU should commit itself to an eventual phasing out of the battery cage system.
The Council also took stock of the difficult economic conditions prevailing on the pigmeat market and invited the Commission to keep the situation under review. There was also an exchange of views on the incidence of BSE in Portugal in which the Commission reported that its own inspection team was currently examining the measures taken by the Portuguese administration to protect human health and combat the disease in animals.