§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 20 and 21 March; and if he will make a statement. [115958]
§ Mr. Nick BrownI represented the UK at the EU Agriculture Council meeting in Brussels on 20 March 2000. Mr. Ross Finnie, Minister for Rural Affairs at the Scottish Executive, and Ms Christine Gwyther, Secretary for Agriculture and the Rural Economy at the National Assembly for Wales, were also present.
The Council had an exchange of views on the Commission White Paper on food safety, focusing particularly on the case for horizontal legislation providing for controls across the whole food chain, the need for transparency in the operation of controls, and procedures for the effective handling of the results of inspection visits. Similar debates on the Commission's White Paper are being held in other instances of the Council in order to inform the Commission's eventual report to Heads of Government.
636WThe Council agreed on conclusions to guide the Commission in its strategy for accommodating budgetary and WTO pressures in the fixing of export refunds on processed goods. I emphasised to the Council the importance of export refunds to the cereals-based spirit drinks sector, notably Scotch Whisky, and urged the Commission to recognise this concern in its implementation of export refund reductions. A statement to this effect was recorded in the minutes of the Council.
The Council also had a first discussion of a proposal to maintain the EU subsidised school milk scheme, but on a basis of a reduced EU budget contribution and compulsory co-financing by member states. I stressed the importance to the UK of continuing the scheme for the benefit of school children, and requested the Commission to examine other possibilities for savings in the EU milk regime before co-financing had to be considered.
Among other issues discussed in the Council were the present state of negotiations on the EU banana regime and the impact on agriculture of the EU nitrates directive. The Council also agreed a request from Italy for authorisation for payment of a state aid in the sugar sector, with Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands abstaining.