§ Sir Hector Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any progress has been made in obtaining the agreement of the European Community to the payment to Scottish crofters and farmers of sheep annual premium on untupped shearlings.
§ Mr. RifkindI am pleased that the Government's persistence has been rewarded by the agreement at a recent meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers of the European Community that crofters and farmers who keep untupped shearlings of specified breeds in certain areas of north and north west Scotland should in future be eligible to claim sheep annual premium on these animals. This decision will come as welcome news to the producers concerned, who farm in a very harsh environment.