asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his actions in the Council of Ministers concerning the British sugar beet acreage; and if he will give an indication of the probable acreage of sugar beet in the United Kingdom for the 1974–75 season.

The Council of Ministers has not yet discussed in any detail the Commission's proposals for beet sugar production quotas after 1974, but I have already made it clear that I regard them as unsatisfactory. I expect this year's beet crop to total about 488,000 acres.