HC Deb 24 February 1988 vol 128 cc239-40W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to the statement on the meeting of the European Council,Official Report, 15 February, columns 710–11, if he will provide the evidence for the statement that the United Kingdom would need enormous deficiency payments or considerable price increases in other directions through the imposition of even heavier levies at the port of entry, to which products this refers; and why such payments or price increases would be necessary.

Mr. MacGregor

The prices available on world markets for agricultural products supported by the CAP are mostly well below existing support levels. For example, for wheat and butter world prices are about a quarter of the CAP support level; for sugar they are about a third and for skimmed milk powder they are about two thirds of the CAP support price.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why he agreed to the European Economic Community decision to pay farmers not to produce; and whether such payments will be debited to the agricultural budget.

Mr. MacGregor

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear in her statement on 15 February that the scheme to take agricultural land out of production was agreed by the European Council as a complement to the stabiliser arrangements and as a further discouragement to overproduction. A proportion of the costs to member states of making payments under the scheme is to be carried by the Community's agricultural fund.

Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing (a) European Economic Community spending on the common agricultural policy and for non-agricultural purposes in the year before the Dublin and Fontainebleau summits respectively, (b) the estimate for 1987, (c) the forecast for 1992 and (d) gross United Kingdom contributions on each occasion.

Mr. MacGregor

The information requested is set out in the following table:

Mecu
1983 11987
EC expenditure on the CAP (guidance and guarantee) 16,637 24,101
EC expenditure excluding the CAP 7,720 12,067
United Kingdom contribution to EC budget (before abatement) 5,084 6,938
1 The estimate for CAP expenditure in 1987 excludes some 4,512 mecu of expenditure in November and December 1987 which will fall on the 1988 Budget.

Figures are not available for 1992.

Source:

1983 EAGGF financial report, Court of Auditors report.

1987 Supplementary and amending budget.