§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the meeting between the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, the hon. Member for Dumfries (Sir H. Monro), and the Norwegian Fisheries Minister to discuss the state of the European farmed salmon market.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 21 February 1994]: My honourable Friend the Minister for Agriculture and the Environment in Scotland had a very constructive meeting on Friday 18 February with Mr. Jan Olsen, the Norwegian Fisheries Minister. They agreed that the present market situation for salmon is a source of concern, and that outlook is also worrying due to the mismatch between production and what the European market can absorb. They also agreed that these problems ought to be addressed urgently by the respective industries.
In the light of these constructive exchanges my Department is taking steps towards bringing the respective industries together, initially on an informal basis. I hope that this will mark the start of a process aimed at addressing the imbalance between supply and demand.
§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if Her Majesty's Government formally requested an extension of the minimum import price for salmon prior to the expiry of the safeguard action on 31 January;
(2) if Her Majesty's Government have formally requested the European Union for a reimposition of a minimum import price of salmon since the expiry of the previous minimum import price on 31 January.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 21 February 1994]: No; but on 5 February 1994 the European Commission reintroduced minimum import prices for salmon at slightly higher rates than those which had applied up to 31 January.