§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg on 22 to 26 June; and if he will make a statement. [48483]
Dr. John CunninghamI chaired a meeting of the European Union Agriculture Council in Luxembourg on 22–26 June. My noble Friend, The Lord Donoughue, Parliamentary Secretary responsible for the farming and food industry, represented the United Kingdom.
This 4-day Council took decisions on a large package of important legislative measures concerning the Common Agricultural Policy and animal welfare. The package included agreement on changes to the bananas regime to bring it into conformity with World Trade Organisation rules whilst ensuring continued access to the EU market for Caribbean ACP bananas; significant reform of the olive oil regime, abolishing public intervention and the consumer and small producer aids which have been particularly susceptible to fraud; and measures setting common welfare standards for the rearing of farm animals throughout Europe. This measure is an important further step to improve animal welfare following the agreement to phase out fishing for tuna and swordfish with drift nets, which I secured at the Fisheries Council earlier this month.
The package also included adoption of the 1998–99 CAP price proposals and the 1999–2000 compulsory set-aside rate, giving farmers certainty for the coming marketing year, as well as limited reforms to the tobacco regime to encourage producers to become more market-oriented and less dependent on subsidy.
The package was agreed by a qualified majority of Member States, as were each of the individual elements. The Netherlands voted against all elements, Denmark against the bananas and set-aside proposals and France against the set-aside proposal. The Council also adopted by qualified majority, with Greece voting against, a proposal changing the rules for payments of aids to cotton producers.
I am very pleased that the United Kingdom Presidency was able to secure a satisfactory deal on this complex package of measures. Coming on top of the conclusions on CAP reform which were unanimously agreed by the Agriculture Council at its May meeting, and subsequently endorsed by the European Council meeting in Cardiff, it concludes the substantial programme of work which I set out at the outset of our Presidency.