§ 11. Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the implications of the everything but Arms initiative for British sugar producers and processors. [146786]
§ Ms QuinThe Commission's proposal would progressively reduce duties on imports of sugar from the least developed countries and the principle of access for LDC's is one which the Government support (which, depending on the volume of imports the LDCs were able to supply, could require the EU to respond by taking action to reduce existing cane or beet supplies.) However, the proposal also contains a safeguard clause to guard against any large-scale disruptive increase in imports. We are pressing for the implications of the LDC proposal to be fully examined in the context of current discussions on the future shape of the EU sugar regime.