Appendix 1: report on Council meeting
When the House is sitting, we table a written
Question on the day of each meeting of the Council of Ministers
asking for a report on the Council meeting and on the activities
of UK Ministers in it. However, for Council meetings taking place
when the House is in recess we ask Departments to write to us
instead. A reply concerning a meeting during the Christmas recess
is published below.
Letter from the Secretary of State for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Rt Hon Margaret Beckett, MP) to the Chairman
of the Committee
AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES COUNCIL: 21-22 DECEMBER
2004
My Hon Friend the Parliamentary Secretary and I represented
the UK at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in
Brussels on 21-22 December 2004. Fisheries ministers from Scotland
and Northern Ireland were also present.
The main items for decision were on fisheries. The
Council agreed on Total Allowable Catches and quotas for 2005
and on related measures: Much of the discussion at Council centred
on the need for further measures to protect depleted cod stocks.
The Commission had proposed a series of closed areas
in the North Sea. Ministers, however, were not convinced of the
case for the Commission's proposal which would have significant
impact on the fishing industry but without clear benefit for the
North Sea cod stock. The UK believes that closed areas have a
part to play in fisheries management and we indicated at the Council
that we would be willing to consider more radical measures, including
closed areas, if the scientific advice on the state of stocks
justified such an approach.
The Council agreed a general reduction in fishing
days within the North Sea, west of Scotland, and Eastern Channel
to protect cod stocks; However, in recognition of the role that
large mesh gear plays in reducing catches of juvenile fish, the
Council agreed that fishermen using mesh of 120 mm mesh should
receive an extra day, subject to administrative sanctions for
infringements. The UK's mixed cod/haddock/whiting fleet already
uses 120 mm and will, therefore continue to be able to fish for
15 days per month as soon as the new arrangements are in place.
The Council also agreed to implement UK proposals
for improved controls to ensure that illegal landings do not undermine
cod recovery and for scientific monitoring of discarding. The
European Commission will present detailed proposals to improve
control and enforcement in early 2005.
The Council agreed to apply days at sea limits to
the western Channel to protect the sole stock. Fishermen fishing
with beam trawls or fixed nets will be restricted to 20 days fishing
in the area per month.
Ministers agreed that the closure to demersal fishing
of an area to the West of Scotland (the "windsock" closure)
should continue in the same form as in 2004. For the sixth successive
year, there will be a closure on the western Irish Sea in the
spring to protect the spawning stock. The UK reached a bilateral
agreement with Ireland to take forward a review of the Irish Sea
closure with industry participation. Fishermen who spend most
of their time in the Irish Sea will receive one additional fishing
day (instead of two in 2004) in recognition of the reduction in
effort as a result of the closure. The Council also agreed to
implement a proposal from the UK, French and Irish industries
for a cod spawning closure in the area between south west England
and Ireland from January to March. However at the request of Belgium,
there will be a derogation for beam trawlers in January.
The UK (TACs) secured at the Council a number of
increases in Total Allowable Catches in commercially important
stocks where there was scientific evidence that previous TACs
were out of line with the real abundance of the stocks. This meant
that fishermen were having to unnecessarily discard catches with
no conservation benefit. The stocks concerned were:
| 2005 TAC
(tonnes)
| Percentage
increase |
| Western Channel sole | 865 |
188 |
| Western Monkfish | 25,082 |
20 |
| Monkfish (North Sea/west of Scotland | 15,0001
| |
| West of Scotland Nephrops | 12,700
| 12 |
| Irish Sea Nephrops | 19,544 |
12 |
| 1 with the prospect of a further increase with agreement on management measures early in 2005
|
The Council also reached agreement on cuts in fishing
effort and quotas on deep sea stocks. A closed area will be introduced
to protect orange roughly which is thought to be particularly
at risk. There will be a review of management arrangements for
deep sea stocks in 2005.
The European Commission presented a Communication
on simplification of the Common Fisheries Policy and this will
be followed by an action plan next year.
On agriculture, the Presidency reported on two conferences
that had considered the handling of animal disease outbreaks,
including zoonoses (animal diseases transmissible to humans),
from both the financial and disease control angles. The Commission
indicated that it would be taking forward work in this area with
a view to developing a more strategic approach to animal health.
I strongly supported this initiative.
The Council held an orientation debate on measures
to deal with illegally logged timber imports. I joined a number
of delegations in welcoming progress in this area while noting
that further work to counter attempts at circumvention of EU controls
was needed. I also welcomed the Commission's intention to work
"closely with interested NGOs on this subject".
The Council endorsed conclusions on the application
of cross compliance conditions in the reformed CAP. Member States
agreed to review the working of these provisions in the light
of further experience.
The Agriculture Commissioner informed the Council
of her intention to prepare a paper reflecting on the possibilities
for further simplification of the CAP; it would come to the Council
towards the end of 2005.
Under other business, Hungary, supported by several
producing Member States, expressed concern about the protection
of geographical indications for wine in the EU/Australia wine
agreement.
Sweden sought views from the Commission on its plans
for proposals to improve the welfare of farmed livestock and the
Commission indicated that further work on pig welfare would be
undertaken in 2005 and proposals on broiler and laying hen welfare
were also likely.
Over lunch, Ministers discussed the current state
of play in the Doha Development Agenda negotiations and Commissioner
Fischer Boel reported on her recent contacts with other parties
in Geneva.
18 January 2005
| 
