§ 39. Mr. Colin Shepherdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will refuse to agree to changes in the beef regime as outlined in the Community's proposal.
§ Mr. MacgregorAs my right hon. Friend said to the House during our debate on the common agricultural policy on 1 December, we accept that savings must be achieved in the beef sector. But we have made it clear to the Commission that we see no justification for their proposal to abolish the beef variable premium scheme as a means of achieving economies. In our view, this would lead to a reduction of beef consumption, an increase in the Community's beef surplus, and therefore to an increase in FEOGA expenditure.