HC Deb 16 January 1984 vol 52 c1W
Sir Peter Mills

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the milk surplus, what steps he will take to stop fanners who were paid to go out of milk production from re-entering into production.

Mr. MacGregor

The non-marketing schemes for milk provided for payments to producers who undertook to give up the marketing of milk and milk products for specified periods an to observe certain other conditions. These conditions did not include any undertaking to refrain from milk production after the expiry of the specified periods and it would be unreasonable to impose a new obligation retrospectively. If, however, there ever were any proposition of this sort, we would certainly want to examine the terms and conditions to be laid down extremely critically, including the possibility of seeking an undertaking from applicants that they would not re-enter milk production after the expiry of the scheme.

Proposals aimed at tackling the Community milk surplus have been made by the Commission and are under consideration. I shall be pressing for measures sufficiently rigorous to bring the milk market into better balance. Such measures should tend to discourage former milk producers from resuming production.