§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the investigations of his meat trader adviser in respect of the pig sector; and when his findings will be published. [106865]
§ Ms QuinThe meat trade adviser is in contact with all the major British retail and catering groups and has had several useful meetings with key industry organisations on the issue of misleading labelling of pigmeat products. Progress is being made and labels are being changed. Although not produced in a form which can readily be published, the meat trade adviser's findings are made known as he discusses his progress regularly with the National Pig Association and other industry bodies.
574WNew guidelines on less ambiguous country of origin labelling will shortly be issued to Trading Standards Officers by my Department's Food Labelling and Standards Division.
§ Mr. CawseyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in establishing a state aid scheme for the pig sector in agreement with the EU. [105139]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 17 January 2000]: The European Commission has made clear in correspondence and at meetings that it will not sanction any scheme which fails to meet the rules. The rules preclude the payment of operating aids, i.e. subsidies that are simply aimed at improving the producer's position in the market. However, we continue to consider possible ways forward in consultation with industry representatives.