The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss):The next Agriculture and Fisheries Council will be on 15 and 16 December in Brussels. My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice), will represent the UK. Richard Lochhead MSP and Michelle O’Neill MLA will also attend.
There are both agriculture and fisheries items on this month’s agenda.
The primary focus of the Council will be the agreement of the Council regulations fixing fishing opportunities for 2015 in EU, and certain non-EU, waters and in the Black Sea.
In addition on agriculture, the presidency will seek adoption of draft Council conclusions on error rates for agricultural expenditure and on strengthening of EU policies for young farmers. We understand the presidency will seek agreement of a document outlining future work on the proposal for a regulation on organic production and labelling of organic products. There will be progress reports on a number of proposals for regulations including fixing certain aids and refunds related to the common organisation of the markets in agricultural products; the aid scheme for the supply of fruit and vegetables, bananas and milk in educational establishments; protective measures against pests of plants; official controls performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal welfare, plant health, plant reproductive material and plant protection products; and zootechnical and genealogical conditions for trade and imports into the union of breeding animals and their germinal products. There will also be a progress report on the proposal for a directive on zootechnical legislation.
There are currently five any other business items:
Implementation of the landing obligation
Outcome of the trilateral ministerial meeting on animal welfare
Extension of the eligibility of expenditure under Rural Development Programme 2007-2013
36th Conference of Directors of EU Paying Agencies
Issues related to the implementation of additional measures on the fruits and vegetables market.