§ 19. Mr. LivseyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he is prepared to take to alleviate the fall in prices for sheep in the United Kingdom. [33774]
§ Mr. RookerGovernment action in this sector is constrained by the rules of the CAP regime for sheepmeat. In recognition of the depressed state of the sheepmeat market, I recently instructed my officials to ask the Commission to open tenders for Private Storage Aid in the UK. The Commission responded promptly to our request, fixing a flat-rate Private Storage Aid of 1,400 ecu per tonne for a maximum of 3,000 tonnes of sheepmeat to be placed into storage in the Republic of Ireland and the UK.