§ Lord Cochrane of Cultsasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 29 and 30 May.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Howe)This meeting of the Council, at which my right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food represented the United Kingdom, concentrated mainly on a proposal from the Commission for changes to the agri-monetary arrangements and on rules for the welfare of animals in transport.
No decisions were reached. The Council will return to both subjects at its next meeting on 19 and 20 June, when it will also aim to decide farm prices and related measures for 1995–96.
The Commission's proposal on agri-money would reduce the cost and scope of the compensatory measures accompanying any green rate revaluation that took place in 1995. It is the present rules on compensation which have led the Council and Commission to delay green rate revaluations that should have taken place, resulting in distortion of trade and excessive levels of support in the Community as a whole. My right honourable friend strongly supported the Commission's proposal. The German Minister, with some support from others, suggested alternative changes that would lead to permanent differences in payments to farmers in 117WA different member states. My right honourable friend made clear that this would be wholly unacceptable.
The discussion on animal transport showed that member states are broadly agreed on the main lines of new arrangements, but still differ on the key questions of maximum journey times and the length of breaks between journeys. My right honourable friend welcomed the assurance from the French Presidency that they give high priority to this issue, and urged all parties to make great efforts to reach an agreement in June.
The Council formally adopted by majority vote, with Germany and Netherlands opposing, the measures necessary to implement the compromise decision on Italian, Spanish and Greek milk quotas, reached at the October meeting of the Economic and Finance Council. It also adopted unanimously a proposal fixing support prices for certain fruits and vegetables for June 1995.