§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his policy towards the European Commission's proposals to regulate and control practices harmful to the environment, as laid out in paragraphs 8–11 of Part IV of the Commission's Green Paper "Perspectives for the Common Agriculture Policy."
§ Mr. GummerI found the references in the Green Paper to agriculture and the environment to be thoughtful and constructive. They clearly reflect the Commission's acceptance that the development of the community's agricultural policies must have due regard to environmental considerations. These policies must also take full account of the need to retain a viable industry and to avoid unreasonable restrictions on farmers.
However, I believe we need to adopt a cautious approach in relation to extensive programmes of action at Community level. In my view, the emphasis should be on national measures based on the best practicable environmental options appropriate to each member state, taking account of their often differing economic, ecological and structural circumstances.