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<p><strong></strong></p><p>European regulations concerning private storage aid are
being retained under the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, should the Secretary
of State choose to operate a scheme in England after we leave. This is a devolved
matter and similar powers to operate private storage aid will exist for Northern Irish,
Scottish and Welsh Ministers.</p><p> </p><p>The Agriculture Bill contains powers which
would allow the Secretary of State to amend the retained EU legislation on private
storage aid, with the aim of eventually phasing the schemes out in England. It also
gives the Secretary of State the ability to amend the schemes’ general operation,
so they can be run in a way appropriate for the domestic market while the Government
consults on phasing the scheme out. While for the most part there is a weak economic
case for market intervention, there may be very specific circumstances in which granting
private storage aid will make overall economic sense. For this reason, powers to use
private storage in response to exceptional market conditions are being retained in
the Bill.</p><p> </p><p>The Agriculture Bill extends similar powers to Welsh Ministers
and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.
The Scottish Government is able to rely on the retained EU legislation regarding public
intervention and private storage aid.</p><p> </p><p>We are working with all the devolved
administrations on common UK frameworks where coordination would be necessary or desirable
and, with the agreement of the devolved administrations, we expect market intervention
schemes of this nature to be part of such a framework.</p>
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