Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-03-14-Speech-4-028"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2002-03-14"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Leaf tobacco (2002, 2003 and 2004)2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20020314.2.4-028"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2002-03-14-Speech-4-0292
lpv:speaker	lp:Neil Parish2
lpv:spoken text	"Madam President, there were a couple of dissenting voices in the Committee on Agriculture about a subsidy for tobacco and I was one of them. I make no apology for that. I support the Commission very much on what they are trying to do in phasing out tobacco subsidies and I would encourage them to continue at a faster pace, rather than a slower one. We cannot justify European taxpayers' money being spent on tobacco production. One of the key objectives of the common agricultural policy is to produce good, wholesome food for the consumers of Europe. I cannot quite see how tobacco fits into this scenario. I have a great deal of respect for Mr Cunha, the rapporteur, but on this occasion he has got it wrong. He is a little like King Canute, who wanted to stop the tide coming in but was unsuccessful. The Committee on Agriculture did not face up to the realities. Over the past ten years we in Europe have spent GBP 6.5 billion or EUR 10 billion – GBP 2 for every citizen in Europe – to subsidise tobacco. One third of this tobacco is of very low quality and is seldom smoked at all. Another third is dumped on Developing World markets which then destroys their markets for tobacco. Is this a role of the common agricultural policy? It is a role we have tried to avoid. Only one third of this tobacco is smoked in Europe. We cannot, therefore, justify the support that we are giving. We all accept the need to support farming in rural communities, but we have to find different crops and different ways of supporting them in the future. The final point I wish to make is that, of all the areas of this support that I dislike, the continuation in Amendment No 17 of the support for very low-quality tobacco is the most wrong. If anything should be corrected it is this. I urge the Commission to phase out the growing of this very low-quality tobacco immediately."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; Conservative and Unionist Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; AGRI (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; EPP-ED (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (2002-01-17--2004-07-19)3 member; Temporary committee on foot and mouth disease (2002-01-17--2002-12-17)3 member; Delegation for relations with Israel (2002-03-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Parish (PPE-DE )."1

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