§ Mr. Maclennanasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the outcome of the Council of Agriculture Ministers' meeting on 24 and 25 March.
§ Mr. JoplingAt the meeting of the Agriculture Council on 24–25 March I represented the United Kingdom together with my right hon. Friend the Minister of State.
The Council had an extensive discussion of the Commission's proposals for agricultural prices and related measures. I continued to press the case for a tough price policy as a central element in the arrangements to be adopted together with non-discriminatory measures to secure the changes needed in the CAP. The Council will resume its discussion of these proposals when it next meets on 21 April. Meanwhile, the Council agreed to extend the marketing years for beef and milk together with the beef variable premium, calf subsidy and arrangemens for dried fodder until 27 April. The suspension of inward processing in the milk sector was also extended to the same date.
In order to help finance the disposal of intervention stocks the Council agreed to amend the rules providing for the depreciation of intervention stocks and the Commission undertook to make under its powers adjustments to the arrangements for financing of intervention to achieve economies to the extent possible within its own powers.
The Council adopted a directive providing for the welfare standards for hens kept in battery cages. The United Kingdom voted against the measure. As a measure concerning the approximation of national laws we considered that the legal base should have included article 100. The measure provides for a minimum space allowance of 450 sq cm per bird to apply for new cages from two years after its adoption and for existing cages after nine years. I made it clear that, while this was the best measure which was negotiable at the present time, it did not go far enough to protect the welfare of hens in battery cages and that the results of further studies should be presented for discussion along with proposals for action, if possible before the formal review dates in the directive. I am pleased to say that I was fully supported in seeking further improvements by Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
464W
United Kingdom Exports of Wheat—1981 to 1985 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 Tonnes £'000 Tonnes £'000 Tonnes £'000 Tonnes £'000 Tonnes £'000 France 191,270 21,019 503,445 57,444 145,017 17,665 81,314 9,667 572 137 Belgium/Luxembourg 63,998 6,789 117,852 13,456 80,368 9,898 81,249 9,432 88,557 10,172 Netherlands 124,148 13,087 115,601 13,159 148,682 17,707 94,662 11,337 183,955 20,607 The Council agreed a revised mandate for negotiations with the ACP states on the 1985–86 raw sugar price. It involves a slightly improved offer to the ACP states, while taking account of the interests of Community refiners.