§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to implement the Cardiff Summit Ministerial Declaration on environmental integration; what indicators he is developing for measuring progress; and if he will raise these matters at the forthcoming Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting. [55780]
§ Mr. MorleyThe integration of environmental considerations into EU agricultural policy is on the agenda for the Agriculture Council on 23 and 24 November. The Government are continuing to press for fundamental reform of the Common Agricultural Policy to meet the commitments made at the Cardiff Summit in May this year.
MAFF has published a consultation document containing proposals for a set of indicators to measure progress towards sustainable agriculture in the UK. The responses are being assessed and we aim to publish the indicators in 1999.