HC Deb 25 October 1984 vol 65 cc687-8W
16. Mr. Knox

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about progress in determining additional milk quotas for dairy farmers considered to be special cases.

Mr. MacGregor

Good progress is being made by the Dairy Produce Quota Tribunal and its local panels. We have taken steps to increase the number of members of the tribunal and panels to assist them in their task. All applications are being dealt with as quickly and as fairly as possible.

20. Sir Peter Mills

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps is he taking to deal with flexibility of milk quotas either by sale or leasing.

Mr. MacGregor

Under the present Community rules, quota can only be transferred with an appropriate amount of land. We are very much aware of the inflexibility this imposes and will be seeking changes in the light of discussions we shall be having with the United Kingdom industry.

21. Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the manner in which the dairy quotas are being implemented in other Common Market countries.

Mr. Jopling

The EC regulations on dairy quotas provide for two ways of implementing the system, either through a levy on each individual producer's excess of production over quota—formula A—or by a levy on each dairy's excess of purchases over quota—formula B. All member states except Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland have opted for formula B. Italy has not yet made a final choice. The Agriculture Commissioner has made it clear that most member states have the necessary national legislation in force to implement these requirements, and that considerable progress has been made in establishing the administrative procedures.

We have repeatedly stressed, most recently at the Agriculture Council this week, that it is essential that the levies be applied by all member states according to the agreed rules. This is fully supported by the Commission and increasingly, as we make the point, by the great majority of member states. We shall continue to watch the situation carefully and to keep pressing this aspect to which we attach great importance.