§ Mr. BiffenTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he has taken to ensure that the United Kingdom freshly squeezed orange juice industry has continued access to the raw materials that it needs. [9777]
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe price of raw materials used by the freshly squeezed orange juice industry would have been significantly increased by Community legislation on import tariffs. This would have had severe economic consequences for an innovative and growing sector. I made clear to Commissioner Fischler that this would be completely unacceptable.
We have succeeded in persuading the Commission to take note of our very genuine concerns. A temporary measure has now been adopted that will ensure that our processors have access to the raw materials they need at realistic prices. This is good news for importers, processors and consumers. We will continue to work towards a permanent solution so that our industry can plan ahead for the years to come.