§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the effects of the current recession on the agricultural industry.
§ Mr. MacleanThe support arrangements under the common agricultural policy have to a considerable extent insulated the agriculture industry from the direct effects of recession. Farmers have however benefited from the fall in interest rates over the past year and interest payments by the farming industry are expected to have fallen by 14 per cent. in 1991.