Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to comply with the ruling by the European Court of Justice that European Community legislation for milk quotas was deficient in that it did not take into account those who had ceased milk production under a Community-financed scheme in 1984; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThe Commission has now put forward proposals to deal with this problem, and we are giving these careful consideration. It is for the Council of Ministers to make decisions on these proposals.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the Milk Marketing Board concerning his practice of permitting certain drugs to be injected into cows markedly to increase yields; what action he intends to take; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThe chairman of the Milk Marketing Board has told me of the concern of many milk872W producers about the possible impact if BST were to become generally available. He also reported that many wanted an EC ban on its use.
Applications for licences for the product are being considered by the European Commission's Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products, which is required to provide an opinion before licence applications are determined nationally. Any decision in the United Kingdom will take account of our obligations under the Medicines Act 1968 and the relevant EC directives.