asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the outcome of his recent discussions with his European Economic Community counterparts on proposals to make European Economic community agricultural legislation more sensitive to the environment.

As my right hon. Friend the Minister said in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Devon, West and Torridge (Sir P. Mills) on 13 March, the Council of Ministers agreed a new agricultural structures regulation which permits member states to introduce schemes to encourage farming methods and practices which are sympathetic to the environment in environmentally sensitive areas.