Beet quota down 2%

By Farmers Weekly staff

SUGAR beet growers will have their A and B quotas scaled back this season, following a cut by Brussels.

British Sugar confirmed its own white-sugar quota had been trimmed by 2%, as the Commission strives to keep the EU within its WTO limits on the volume of subsidised exports.

This will translate into a similar 2% cut for producers.

With harvest almost upon us, this will mean more production will have to go as C beet, fetching what it can on the world market, said a BS spokesman.

The quota cut is smaller than we expected as world sugar prices have climbed 50% this year, leading to lower export subsidies, he added.

BS stressed that the cut was a one-off and would not affect 2001 contract offers.