asked the Minister for Agriculture the proposals for the abolition of monetary compensatory amounts under the farm agricultural policy of the EEC; and if the Government are committed to their abolition.
Written Answers. - Abolition of MCAs.
405.
The EEC Commission's proposals are aimed at the elimination of new MCAs created after the introduction of a new system and at the dismantling of MCAs already in existence.
For new MCAs a three staged elimination is proposed, i.e. ? immediately they are created, ? at the beginning of the next marketing year, and ? at the beginning of the subsequent marketing year.
Existing MCAs would be eliminated in two stages, at the beginning of the first and second marketing years following the introduction of the system. The Government have welcomed the Commission's proposals and have indicated support for them.