Agriculture and Fisheries Council (26 October)

Tuesday 26th October 2010 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mrs Caroline Spelman)]

The Under-Secretary of State responsible for natural environment and fisheries, my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Richard Benyon) will represent the United Kingdom at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 26 October.

There are three items on the agenda relating to fisheries and a joint item on agriculture. Discussion will take place on the following:

Baltic sea total allowable catches and quotas for 2011—about the level of fishing opportunities in the Baltic sea.

EU/Norway: Annual consultation for 2011—joint management of fish stocks with Norway in the North sea and Atlantic.

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting (management of Atlantic tuna stocks).

A single presentation on two agriculture items on regulations to simplify management rules in both rural development and the single common market organisation, and to provide Lisbon treaty alignment.

There are currently five items under any other business:

Presidency announcement of a “day of reflection for the pig sector”.

North Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO)—Commission handling of the last negotiations.

Presidency feedback on the September Informal Agriculture Council.

African swine fever control measures—paper from the Lithuanian delegation.

Sugar—paper from the Portuguese delegation.