asked the Taoiseach if his attention has been drawn to the resolution agreed unanimously among the members of the Agricultural Committee of the European Parliamentary Assembly that Great Britain and Denmark should accept the basic rules of their common agricultural policy; if Ireland's position was reviewed as well as that of these countries; if it has been asked to accept these basic principles; and, if so, why no reference was made to this country in view of the fact that application for full membership of the EEC has been lodged by Ireland.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ireland and EEC Agricultural Policy.
1.
I have seen press reports of the discussion in the Agricultural Committee of the European Parliamentary Assembly to which the Deputy refers. I understand that this discussion was based on a report which had been prepared on certain farm problems raised by the British and Danish applications to join the European Economic Community and that the members of the committee agreed that Britain and Denmark should accept the basic principles of the common agricultural policy. As Deputies are aware, in my statement to the representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the Community on the 18th January last, I indicated that Ireland agreed with the aims and principles of the Community's policy for agriculture.
Would the Taoiseach care to indicate to the House what the basic agricultural principles are that were referred to in the statement?
I do not know what exactly the Deputy has in mind. The communiqué issued after the meeting he mentioned said that the committee has agreed that, like Britain, Denmark must accept the basic principles of the common agricultural policy. We have accepted these basic principles, so no question arises in our case.
I know that. I asked the Taoiseach if he would indicate the basic agricultural principles referred to in the statement.
They are set out in the Treaty of Rome——
They are not.
——which is to be found in the Library.
These are principles that have been established fairly recently.
I have asked for a copy and I have not got it yet.
The basic principles are set out in the Treaty of Rome. The decisions recently taken in the Community for the implementation of these basic principles are set out in documents which are available in the Library, both the actual texts of the decisions and our interpretation of them.
Does the Taoiseach say that there were no agricultural discussions in recent months in which the basic principles were in the forefront?
If the Deputy wishes to examine the decisions then taken, he will find them in the Library. There is a translation there of every decision regarding agriculture taken by the Community and, furthermore, a fairly elaborate interpretation of these decisions as prepared by ourselves.
Does acceptance of the basic agricultural principles set out in the Treaty of Rome also mean that we have now accepted what has emerged from the recent discussions on agriculture among "The Six" themselves? Are we committed to all that is in that incomprehensible document in the Library?
That is not the same point. Policy decisions taken by the Community are, I assume, subject to revision from time to time. So far as we can now interpret these decisions, they do not seem likely to create any problem for ourselves. It is to be recognised that the decisions already recorded represent only about 50 per cent. of the task before the Community in finalising their agricultural policy.
Is the Taoiseach satisfied that he has interpreted correctly whatever is contained in them?
I hope so.
One would need a crystal ball.
The original basic principles of the Treaty of Rome in relation to agriculture scheduled two objectives. One was directed towards the equation of agricultural and industrial incomes and the second was the preservation of the family farms.
The basic principles of agricultural policy as set out in the Treaty of Rome were subsequently elaborated at the Stresa Conference. We have had no difficulty in accepting both the basic principles as set out in the Treaty and the subsequent elaboration of these principles at the Stresa Conference.