§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the mechanism for calculating sheep annual premium payments at EU level in respect of the setting of the average market price in the EU; and if it will be his policy to direct higher levels of premium towards those parts of the Union with lower prices. [29306]
§ Mr. RookerI recognise that the rise in the average EU market price for sheepmeat in 1997 is almost entirely attributable to the revaluation of currencies in particular sterling. At the same time, the price of sheepmeat on the domestic market has fallen sharply. I cannot accept, however, that we should seek to reshape the rules for the calculation of the Sheep Annual Premium simply because they do not suit the UK in any particular year. When sterling weakened, UK producers were to some extent over compensated. I cannot, therefore, agree that supplementary premia should be paid in those Member States where the average market price is below the Community average.