§ 26. Sir John Gilmourasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement of his policy for potato production.
§ Mr. BishopOur objective continues to be to provide, at reasonable prices for consumers and with fair returns for producers, the types and qualities of potatoes which consumers and users require and the achievement of a reasonable degree of market stability. To this end, we aim for United Kingdom self-sufficiency in main-crop potatoes except in years of unusually low yields.
As to the future, I would not like to speculate upon the outcome of the current discussions in Brussels on proposals for an EEC potato regime, but it is my right hon. Friend's intention to ensure that any measures finally agreed take account of potato production and marketing in the Community and the interests of both producers and consumers in the United Kingdom.