13. GUIDE PRICES FOR FISHERY PRODUCTS
(24019)
14219/02
COM(02) 640
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Draft Council Regulation fixing for the 2003 fishing year the guide prices and Community producer prices for certain fishery products pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 104/2000.
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| Legal base: | Articles 26, 36 and 37 EC; qualified majority voting
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| Document originated: | 20 November 2002
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| Deposited in Parliament: | 26 November 2002
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| Department: | Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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| Basis of consideration: | EM of 9 December 2002
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| Previous Committee Report: | None
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| To be discussed in Council: | 16-19 December 2002
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| Committee's assessment: | Politically important
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| Committee's decision: | Cleared
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Background
13.1 Council Regulation (EC) No. 104/2000[49]
provides for the annual fixing of guide prices for the 26 species
of fresh or chilled fish listed in its Annexes. It also provides
for the fixing of an annual Community producer price for tuna
intended for canning. Guide prices act as the base from which
Community withdrawal and reference prices are calculated, which
in turn set a market floor for fishermen who are members of a
recognised Fish Producers' Organisation which adopts the Community
withdrawal price. If no buyer can be found for a particular catch
at a price above the withdrawal price, fishermen receive compensation
from Community funds according to a pre-set formula. Reference
prices are used to decide if action is needed against imports
to offset severe market disturbance.
13.2 Guide prices, and the producer price for tuna, are
intended to reflect average prices recorded within the Community
in the preceding three years, and production and demand prospects.
Account is also taken of the need to support producers' incomes,
to stabilise market prices, to consider consumer interests and,
in the case of the tuna price, to take into consideration the
needs of the Community's canning industry.
The Commission proposal
13.3 The first proposal prescribes the guide price for
fresh or chilled fish for the 2003 fishing year. The Commission
proposes the following changes over the 2002 prices:
decreases of:
- 1% for spotted dogfish, haddock, plaice, fresh prawns and
edible crab;
no change for anchovy, flounder, monkfish (without head),
shrimps, boiled prawns, lobster (whole) and sole;
increases of:
- 3% for herring and mackerel:
- 2.5% for cod and whiting;
- 1.5% for redfish, saithe, hake, albacore (whole) and cuttlefish;
and
- 1% for sardines, dogfish, ling, megrim, albacore (gutted with
head), monkfish (whole) and lobster (tails).
13.4 The second proposal would set guide prices for frozen
fish products. The Commission proposes the following changes over
the 2002 prices:
decreases of:
no change for hake (fillets), squid (of the species Loligo
and Omnastrephes sagittatus) and prawns (other penaeidae);
increases of:
- 3% for sea bream, cuttlefish and octopus;
- 1% for Greenland halibut and prawns (parapenaeus)
13.5 The third proposal would set the Community producer
price for the 2003 fishing year for tuna at €1,184 per tonne,
a 1% increase on the price set for 2002.
The Government's view
13.6 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 9 December 2002,
the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Commons) at the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr Elliot Morley) says
that consultation with the processing and catching sectors indicates
that the proposals should not cause any marketing problems. The
Commission has estimated that the financial implications would
be funded from the existing budget of €14.45 million.
Conclusion
13.7 The setting of the guide prices for fish and
fisheries products has in some years proved controversial. However,
that does not appear to be the case on this occasion, and we are
therefore clearing the document.
49
OJ No. L17, 21.1.00, p.22. Back
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