§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What matters were discussed and decisions made at the Agriculture Council held on 18 and 19 December 2001. [HL2304]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty)My right honourable friend the Secretary of State represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Agriculture Council in Brussels on 19 December 2001. Agriculture Ministers of the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland were also present.
The Council reached agreement on reform of the sheepmeat regime, including a number of measures for which the United Kingdom had pressed strongly. The changes will make substantial savings in the budget for the EU's current financial year. The main ones will fix permanent rates of premium and create national envelopes which can be directed towards national or regional priorities. Different approaches will be permitted in England and the devolved administrations. We are delighted with this outcome which will give us some valuable flexibility in the operation of this important regime.
The Council also agreed to introduce a stabiliser which will cap spending in the seeds sector. The new arrangements fully safeguard UK interests. A further amendment of the banana regime was also agreed, bringing to a close a long-running dispute with certain of the EU's trading partners.
147WAThe presidency reported the successful outcome of the international conference on foot and mouth disease at which the United Kingdom had taken a prominent part.
The Council discussed a memorandum from certain member states on the oilseeds market. We endorsed the Commission's response, arguing that further encouragement of oilseed production in the EU would be costly, unnecessary and likely to produce tension with our trading partners.
The Council took note of progress on several dossiers under the Belgian Presidency and exchanged views on a useful memorandum from the German Government on organic farming.