HC Deb 23 June 1994 vol 245 cc310-1W
14. Mr. Whittingdale

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of the effect of enlargement of the European Community on the common agricultural policy.

Mr. Jack

Accession by Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway is unlikely to have major implications for the CAP.

But the further enlargement of the Union to include the countries of central and eastern Europe would, I believe, require fundamental changes to the present CAP.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals she has for further reform of the CAP.

Mrs. Gillian Shephard

I am pressing for further reforms to the common agricultural policy, both in the beef sector and in those sectors not reformed in 1992, particularly sugar, wine, olive oil and fruit and vegetables.

Reform is necessary to reduce costs and to bring these sectors closer to the market.

In the longer term, I shall press for support prices to be further reduced so as to bring supply and demand into better balance and so make supply controls, such as quotas and set-aside, redundant.