UK Parliament / Open data

Common Agricultural Policy

Proceeding contribution from Neil Parish (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Thursday, 1 November 2012. It occurred during Adjournment debate on Common Agricultural Policy.

My hon. Friend has heard the phrase, “The law works for the law-abiding,” and we can be certain that the French would find every reason to distort the market in their favour, wait until that is challenged by the European Commission, and drag it through the European courts for years, so I am not as sure as he is that state aid rules will stop the French or anyone else distorting the market. We must be careful if we go down that route. State aid rules are a blunt weapon, and I believe the Anglo-Saxons in Europe conform to them more closely than those in other parts of the European Union. State aid rules alone will not be enough.

We must ensure that CAP reform is done in a way that does not distort the market further. We should green it, but have food production, and ensure that as we deal with farmers in this country, we have food production on the best land and increase it sustainably, but have conservation on our more marginal land. That is the way forward, and that is where we must be careful in our negotiations on the greening of the CAP. I look forward to Ministers doing a good job.

2.25 pm

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
552 c145WH 
Session
2012-13
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
Back to top