§ 44. Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is holding tip agreement in the Council of Ministers for extending the Community's less favoured areas directive to United Kingdom marginal land.
§ Mrs. FennerThe proposal to redefine the United Kingdom's less favoured areas to include more than one million hectares of marginal land is one of three similar proposals presently before the Council of Ministers. The other two concern Italy and the Netherlands. The Council has been unable to reach agreement on any of these three proposals so far because certain member states feel that it would be inappropriate as the directives concerned are due 563W to expire at the end of this year, and are currently being reviewed. We have argued that the conditions for designation have been met in our proposals and so long as the existing provisions remain in force there can be no justification for withholding agreement in the Council. We shall continue to press strongly for early agreement.