§ Mr. ChannonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement outlining the details of the European Community's new regime for banana imports.
§ Mr. CurryThe Agriculture Council on 9 to 13 February agreed, by qualified majority, a regulation for the common organisation of the EC banana market. This gives effect to the agreement reached on a United Kingdom presidency compromise at the December Council. The key elements of the new arrangements are
Continued duty-free access for traditional ACP supplies, up to a level of 857,700 tonnes, reflecting ACP countries' best ever sendings to the EC;A low tariff quota of 2 million tonnes for third country and non-traditional ACP fruit. Third country fruit would be subject to a duty of 100 Ecu/tonne; non-traditional ACP fruit would be duty-free;A tariff on all sendings outside the tariff quota of 850 Ecu/tonne (750 Ecu/tonne for non-traditional ACP).Licences for access to the low tariff quota would be allocated:
66.5 per cent. on the basis of a three-year rolling average of past trade in third country and nontraditional ACP fruit;30 per cent on the basis of a three year rolling average of past trade in EC and traditional ACP fruit;3.5 per cent. to newcomers.There remain a number of details to be resolved during negotiations on the implementation of the new regime. The new arrangements are due to come into force on 1 July 1993.
The new arrangements represent a good deal for United Kingdom interests. They complete the single market in bananas; they are compatible with the general approach on agricultural products in the GATT Uruguay round. And most importantly they fulfil our Lomé convention obligations to our traditional ACP suppliers in the Commonwealth Caribbean.