56 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will make a statement regarding the level of milk production in New Zealand and in the United States of America in recent years; and if he intends raising the matter at the Council of Ministers in an effort to curb the level of production in both these countries. [14569/95]

While there can be no doubt about the trend of increased milk production in both New Zealand and the US, it is not within the power of the Council of Ministers to curb production in either country. However, production trends in third countries generally will be taken account of in any future review of the EU dairy regime.