HC Deb 23 April 1987 vol 114 c697W
47. Mr. Nicholas Baker

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the future of dairy farming within the common agricultural policy.

Mr. Gummer

The outlook for dairy farming was poor before the package of measures adopted by the council last December, because of the threat posed to the support system by steeply rising surpluses. I believe that the industry now has much better prospects. The Community will soon need to consider the measures to follow the current quota system from 1989, and in discussion of them I will continue to seek better control of surplus production, through measures that respond to the needs of United Kingdom producers, traders and consumers.