Agriculture and Fisheries Council (December)

Tuesday 18th December 2012 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr Owen Paterson)]

The next Agriculture and Fisheries Council is on Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 December in Brussels. I will be representing the UK, accompanied by the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, responsible for the natural environment, water and rural affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Richard Benyon). Richard Lochhead MSP, Alun Davies AM and Michelle O’Neill MLA will also attend.

Tuesday will concentrate on fisheries. Wednesday will be split between agriculture and fisheries with the possibility that the latter will go into Thursday. Discussions on fisheries will cover fixing the 2013-14 fishing opportunities for deep sea stocks applicable in the Black sea and EU/Norway 2013 annual consultation, establishing a long-term plan for cod stocks, and fishing opportunities available in EU waters for EU vessels, in non-EU waters for stocks and groups of fish which are subject to negotiations or agreement.

The discussion on agriculture will focus on the presidency’s progress report on the CAP reform negotiations.

There are currently three any other business items on vine planting rights, a declaration of eastern European countries conclusions of the international conference on the movement of exotic animals and a report from the Commission about the phasing out of the milk quota system.