§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the outcome was of the Agriculture Council 105W held in Brussels on 26 and 27 February; if he will set out the Government's voting record at the Council; and if he will make a statement. [151992]
§ Mr. Nick BrownThe Minister of State and I represented the United Kingdom at the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 26 February. Ross Finnie (Minister for Rural Development, Scottish Executive), Brid Rodgers MLA (Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Northern Ireland Executive), and Carwyn Jones (Minister for Rural Affairs, National Assembly for Wales), also attended.
The Council reviewed the main decisions on BSE which it had taken at recent meetings. Member states underlined the importance of effective implementation of those measures, as well as the need to avoid national measures. On scrapie, the Council endorsed the Commission's proposals on testing and surveillance and undertook to keep the science under review.
The Council also considered the Commission's proposed seven-point plan responding to the crisis in the European beef market. A wide range of reactions emerged. The UK supported the need for urgent measures to restore consumer confidence and remove unwanted beef from older animals from the market, while querying the appropriateness of some of the measures designed to rebalance the beef market in the medium term. We expressed particular concern about the proposals to require suckler cow premium claims to include a minimum of 20 per cent. heifers, the introduction of individual quotas for beef special premium and restoration of the 90 head limit on beef special premium claims.
I gave colleagues in the Council details of the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom as well as the measures we are taking to contain the disease and, in collaboration with the Commission, to prevent its spread to other member states. Commissioner Byrne and other Ministers expressed great sympathy for UK farmers and their appreciation of the comprehensive measures we are taking.
Jointly with the Italian delegation, we called for a review of the EU's food labelling policy so that food labels would better satisfy consumers demands for more information, including, for example, about how food is produced and what it contains. This initiative was given strong support by Germany and Austria.