§ Mr. Robert BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what amounts have been received in EC subsidies and support by British, French and German pig farmers in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. JackThe CAP pigmeat regime is lightweight and very little direct support is available.
Under the guarantee section of the common agriculture policy—FEOGA—expenditure on export refunds and private storage aid for pigmeat, neither of which are paid direct to producers, was as follows:
549WCopies of the FEOGA financial reports are in the House of Commons Library.
Refunds for certain pigmeat exports to non-EC countries are available to all member states. Germany has traditional markets in eastern Europe and is the third largest exporter of pigmeat from the EC to third countries.
Private storage aid schemes, when introduced by the EC, are also available to all member states and provide short-term relief from difficulties caused by seasonal oversupply of the pigmeat market. The United Kingdom pigmeat industry generally sees PSA schemes as being of little benefit and United Kingdom take up is very small.
Exceptional support measures can be introduced by the EC when orderly marketing cannot otherwise take place. As a result of outbreaks of classical swine fever in Germany, where movement restrictions exist, 2.063 mecu was paid during the 1993 FEOGA budget year and 56 mecu has so far been paid this year. No such measures have needed to be introduced in France or the United Kingdom.
EC veterinary funds can be made available to assist member states in eradicating certain animal diseases, including pig diseases. No such payments have been made to the United Kingdom in the last five years and details of any payments to France or Germany are not available to us.
On capital grant schemes, the ministry has paid £5·7 million to pig producers since 1989. A small element of this is reimbursed by the EC. Figures for France and Germany are not available to us.