EC SUGAR TENDER SAID TO MARK NO CHANGE IN POLICY The maximum rebate granted at yesterday's European Community (EC) sugar tender marked no change in policy towards producers' complaints that they are losing money on exports outside the EC, EC commission sources said. They said this was despite the fact that the commission accepted over 785,000 tonnes of sugar into intervention yesterday from traders protesting that rebates are being set too low. The maximum rebate at yesterday's tender was 46.864 Ecus per 100 kilos, up from 45.678 Ecus the previous week. London traders said yesterday the rebate was the largest ever granted. The commission sources said today the increase was entirely explained by world market conditions. The amount by which the rebate fell short of what producers claim is needed to obtain an equivalent price to that for sales into intervention remained at 0.87 Ecus per 100 kilos, they said. Operators offered a total of 854,000 tonnes of sugar into intervention last month to protest at rebates which they said were too low. The sources said about 706,470 tonnes of French sugar and 79,000 tonnes of German sugar had been accepted, the remainder being rejected as of too low quality. The sources noted the operators could withdraw their offers in the five week period between the acceptance of the sugar and payment for it. They said they saw no sign of planned withdrawals as yet, adding that they would expect operators to wait another week or two to review commission policy before making up their minds. The sources said the commission felt entitled to offer rebates at slightly below the level theoretically justifiable in the light of its 1987/88 farm price package proposal to reduce guaranteed prices for sugar by two pct from the start of the new season in July.