§ 53. Sir Hector MonroTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussion he has had with the National Farmers Union of Scotland about the level of farm incomes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindMy noble Friend the Minister of State met the president and senior officials of the National Farmers Union of Scotland on 15 January for a discussion on a range of issues, including the EC price-fixing proposals, which have a significant bearing on farmers' incomes. The union represented that a substantially greater green pound devaluation than was proposed by the EC Commission was justified. My noble Friend reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the removal of monetary compensatory amounts by 1992 and assured the representatives of the union that the need for our farmers to be able to compete on fair terms in the Community would be borne in mind in the negotiations in Brussels. My noble Friend and colleagues from other Departments yesterday met the United Kingdom farming unions to discuss further the price-fixing proposals.