Agriculture Ministers (Meeting)

HC Deb 20 July 1933 vol 46 cc137-8W

Mr. Colin Shepherd

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Council of Agriculture Ministers' meeting in Brussels on 18 July; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jopling

Together with my hon. Friend the Minister of State, I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Agriculture Council in Brussels on July 18.

As the new Italian Administration was still being formed it was not possible to reach decisions on proposals for changes to the arrangements for fruit and vegetables and for olive oil in relation to the future enlargment of the Community. Discussion will be resumed at the Council meeting on 26–27 September.

It was agreed that further technical examination was needed of the Commission's proposals to amend the regime for processed fruit and vegetables. A decision was deferred on extending the existing regulation for dried fruit which expires next month. In discussion the United Kingdom emphasised our interest in the proper working of the regime as the Community's major consumer of dried fruit and received due recognition by the Commission. Temporary arrangements were agreed for the adjustment of monetary differential amounts for rape seed on the understanding that alternative United Kingdom proposals would be studied urgently.

Rules for the distillation of wine alcohol were agreed on the basis of a commitment to the United Kingdom that the Commission would bring forward regulations for the complementary rules on alcohol disposal, for adoption before the start of the 1983–84 wine year.

I expressed concern about the prices at which processed soft fruit was being imported from eastern Europe. The Commission undertook to check the position and to initiate safeguard procedures if necessary.

Pending the setting up of the Select Committee on European legislation I would like to take the opportunity to inform the House that regulations on pigmeat MCAs and lemon premiums, which were agreed in principle at the price-fixing in May, were adopted, together with other technical regulations on export refunds for semi-porocessed prducts, on soya beans and on tinned pineapple.