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Set-aside Scheme
Mr. Cox: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total acreage of land in the United Kingdom currently in set-aside; and what has been the total cost to public funds of payments to farmers for land in set-aside during 1996. [19486]
Mr. Baldry: The total acreage of land currently in set-aside will not be known until later this year In 1996 the total acreage of land in the United Kingdom set aside under the arable area payments scheme was 1,209,915 acres and payments to claimants in respect of that set-aside totalled £156,627,421 up to the end of February 1997.
Organic Farming
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many and what percentage of farms are currently classified as organic; and if he will make a statement. [19857]
Mr. Boswell: There were 646 registered organic units in England as at February 1997. These constitute less than 0.5 per cent. of the total number of agricultural holdings in England, although it is not possible to make an exact comparison because the figures are produced on different bases.