§ Mr. AingerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the informal agriculture council held between 10 and 12 May; and if he will make a statement. [42269]
Dr. John CunninghamAs Chairman of the EU Agriculture Council, I hosted an informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Newcastle upon Tyne from 10 to 12 May 1998. My noble Friend, the Lord Donoughue, 343W Parliamentary Secretary responsible for the farming and food industry, represented the United Kingdom at that meeting.
In the course of the informal visit, I was able to show my EU colleagues the efforts which the UK Government are making, in partnership with the farming industry, to help put our beef industry on to a sound footing for the future. In particular, my EU Ministerial colleagues were given a comprehensive presentation of the cattle traceability system now being put in place in Great Britain with the aim of assuring consumers, retailers and farmers alike of the safety and reliability of our meat.
Linked to the theme of quality and sustainability of beef production, the information EU Council went on to discuss, on the basis of a UK Presidency paper, the challenges facing EU livestock producers in environmentally fragile areas of the Union, and the measure open to EU governments to assist them. A wide-ranging debate on this important subject gave rise to a number of important policy considerations which will be taken forward in the negotiations on the Commission's Agenda 2000 proposals for agricultural reform.