HL Deb 16 October 1995 vol 566 cc76-7WA
Lord Tebbit

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What public interest is served by making illegal the sale of nectarines of a diameter less than 2¼ inches.

Lord Lucas

There is substantial over-production of nectarines in the EU, brought about largely by the intervention (withdrawal) system. The Commission has sought to tackle this to some extent by limiting the size of fruit that can be marketed and thus limiting the cost to EU taxpayers.

In the forthcoming reform of the EC Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Regime, the UK will be pressing for the abolition of withdrawal aid. Then, the needs of the market will determine the size of the fruit that is available to the consumer.