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Dept for International Development

Answer

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether under Common Agricultural Policy reform of the sugar protocol there are mechanisms in place to prevent short-term dumping on developing countries. [186323] Mr. Gareth Thomas: The European Commission presented a communication to the Agriculture Council on 19 July that set out their preferred option for reform. The communication proposes to substantially reduce sugar exports and export refunds, abolish intervention, reduce ELI production and the internal sugar price and grant a de-coupled payment to sugar beet farmers. The reform process will start in July 2005. This should make the regime more market oriented and reduce the quantity of EU sugar exported to third markets. If the option were to be agreed, the Commission estimate that the combined, aggregate effect of the proposals on support price and quota reduction would be a significant reduction in the level of EU production under quota, from 17.3 million to 14.5 million tonnes per year. In turn, as a consequence of the substantial reduction in the overall level of EU production, EU subsidised sugar exports dumping are projected to fall by around 2 million tonnes. The Commission communication will be the subject of discussion between the EU Member States over the coming months.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

424 c946W; 186323

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Developing countries EU action Sugar Common agricultural policy Common sugar regime

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk