§ Mr. Spellerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action will be taken to deal with the knock-on effect of milk quotas on the beef market.
§ Mr. JoplingIn taking decisions on milk in December the Agriculture Council acknowledged that the consequences for the beef sector were likely to be significant. The decisions on beef as a whole were reached with this in mind and in particular the Commission has allocated a sum of 435 mecu (£290 million) to meet extra beef market management costs which might arise. In the United Kingdom, the retention of the beef variable premium, the green pound devaluation, and the harmonisation of steer and young bull intervention buying-in prices will do much to encourage stable market conditions. We shall, of course, continue to monitor the situation carefully.