§ Mr. John GreenwayTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the rate of suckler cow premium for the 1992 scheme year.
§ Mr. GummerAt its meeting on 18 to 21 May, the Council of Agriculture Ministers agreed that the Community-funded element of the suckler cow premium for the 1992 scheme year should be 50 ecu—£39.77—per head. There will continue to be provision for an optional national top-up to the Community-funded premium. I expect the Commission to produce a draft implementing regulation shortly. An announcement on the rate of premium to apply in the United Kingdom for the 1992 scheme will be made in due course. In the meantime, I have laid an amendment to the relevant statutory instrument—SI 1992/1210, the Suckler Cow Premium (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 1992—to make it clear that the rates currently set out apply only to applications in respect of the 1991 scheme year.