WRITTEN QUESTION No. 689/97 by Gerardo FERNÁNDEZ-ALBOR to the Commission. Discrimination on the part of Brussels against the Spanish agriculture sector
Date: 1997-03-06
Institutions: European Parliament, FERNANDEZ ALBOR
Subjects: European Commission, Spain, aid per hectare, aid system, anti-discriminatory measure, farmers' income, farming sector, production quota, reform of the CAP, utilised agricultural area













EUR-Lex - 91997E0689 - EN






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91997E0689

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 689/97 by Gerardo FERNÁNDEZ-ALBOR to the Commission. Discrimination on the part of Brussels against the Spanish agriculture sector  


Official Journal C 319 , 18/10/1997 P. 0160 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0689/97 by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (6 March 1997)Subject: Discrimination on the part of Brussels against the Spanish agriculture sectorThe Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has said that the Spanish agriculture sector is being discriminated against in Brussels.She claims that the quotas allocated to Spain for certain products, such as arable crops or milk, are insufficient and show that 'the Spanish agriculture sector is being discriminated against, sometimes with problems resulting from previous negotiations and conditions'.In view of these serious allegations by the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, can the Commission explain the reasons for such discrimination? Is it prepared to negotiate a fair settlement in order to eliminate the unfair discrimination alleged by the Minister?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (24 March 1997)The Commission does not agree that the Spanish arable and milk sectors are being discriminated against by the common agricultural policy (CAP).In both sectors, Community policy is to control supply, by restricting the areas eligible for arable aid and limiting the right to produce in the milk sector (quota). The base areas and the milk quota were set on the basis of official historical statistics and, in both cases, the Spanish authorities accepted the references thus adopted.It is true that some problems of overrun of the base areas for arable crops have arisen since the reform was implemented. However, these problems could be settled partly by making appropriate adjustments to the regionalization plan, which Spain itself worked out. It should also be stressed that the Commission has been flexible in dealing with exceptional circumstances such as the drought. This flexibility has reduced the negative effects of overruns on producers.As a whole, the 1992 reform was very favourable to Spanish arable farmers, especially in view of the fact that aid has been paid irrespective of the quantities produced and that this has cushioned the impact of lower production resulting from the drought.In the milk sector, Spain's initial quota was fixed in the context of the accession negotiations and was based on statistics provided by Spain. From 1993/94, the Community increased Spain's quota, making it possible to absorb a large part of the milk being produced over quota. It should be pointed out that the purpose of the quota system is precisely to prevent increases in production while at the same time ensuring an adequate development of producers' incomes.Often the criticisms of the level of the Spanish quota reflect the idea that the quota should enable each Member State to be self-sufficient. This idea goes against the principles of the CAP, and it is not of course advanced with regard to those sectors in which Spanish production far exceeds its consumption.