Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will seek to ensure for Welsh milk producers an increase in the amount of milk they may produce without paying the super levy on excess output similar to those increases secured recently for producers in Belgium, France and West Germany; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerIn order to accommodate changes in the pattern of marketing,. EC legislation allows member states to seek approval from the Commission under management committee procedure for the transfer of specified quantities of quota between their direct sale and wholesale allocations. This is what was recently approved for France, Germany and Belgium and similar approvals have been given to other member states, including the United Kingdom, in the past. These transfers do not increase the total amount of quota allocated to any member state. I do not believe that such a transfer would be justified in the United Kingdom under present circumstances.