§ Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what biotechnology research projects in(a) agriculture and (b) biomedics have been supported by the Department; and what level of public investment has gone into them in each of the last three years. [73241]
§ Mr. MeacherThe biotechnology research projects funded by the Department in the last 3 years in(a) Agriculture are available in the Library of the House. The total costs over this period are summarised in the table below:
§ Mr. MorleyOn 10 July, the European Commission published its proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. These form a good basis for discussion, and in many ways respond to UK calls that significant reform of the CAP is required. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out the UK's initial response to the proposals at the 15 July EU Agriculture Council. As she explained, the Government believes that the general thrust of the proposals of further market reform, decoupling of direct payments from production, and reinforcement of the rural development regulation is the right one. But in a number of key areas we consider that the proposals do not go far enough and do not adequately respond to the challenges ahead. In particular, the Commission's proposals on modulation would simply recycle money within the CAP while we would like to have seen a proposal which reduced subsidies while delivering real budgetary savings.