| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Agenda 2000
Mr. Cox: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many responses he has received to the consultation document, Agenda 2000: A New Direction for Agriculture; and if he will make a statement. [108015]
Ms Quin: We received 169 written responses. We also held 14 well-attended regional consultation meetings when attendees were able to make their points in person. Copies of the consultation responses have been placed in the main Ministry of Agriculture Library.
These responses were taken into consideration in the final choices we made for the implementation of the discretionary areas of Agenda 2000.
Farm Subsidies
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 25 January 2000, Official Report, column 192W, if he will publish a breakdown of subsidy payments to farmers in (a) Shropshire and (b) the United Kingdom for each year from 1992 to 1997; and if he will make a statement. [107917]
Ms Quin: The breakdown of subsidy payments in Shropshire in the years 1994 to 1997, and the United Kingdom in the years 1992 to 1997, is set out in the tables as follows.
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arable Area Payments Scheme | 18.6 | 16.7 | 28.7 | 23.2 |
| Beef Special Premium | 3.6 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 5.7 |
| Suckler Cow Premium | 3.1 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 4.0 |
| Sheep Annual Premium | 8.2 | 8.8 | 9.3 | 5.1 |
| Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 2.2 |
| Environmentally Sensitive Areas | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Other agri-environmental schemes | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | (21)-- |
| Other subsidies(22) | -- | 0.2 | 2.8 | 1.4 |
| Total | 36.3 | 35.5 | 53.4 | 43.2 |
(21) Less than 0.1
(22)Includes CAP, non-CAP and national payments.
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 201W
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arable Area Payments Scheme | 0 | 653 | 816 | 1,087 | 1,116 | 1,114 |
| Other crop subsidies (incl. set aside) | 184 | 423 | 240 | 224 | 182 | 109 |
| Beef Special Premium | 45 | 159 | 193 | 232 | 295 | 271 |
| Suckler Cow Premium | 99 | 144 | 178 | 228 | 286 | 374 |
| Sheep Annual Premium | 437 | 433 | 391 | 481 | 329 | 300 |
| Other Livestock subsidies | 6 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 626 | 432 |
| Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances | 154 | 130 | 111 | 108 | 166 | 109 |
| Environmentally Sensitive Areas | 13 | 21 | 22 | 33 | 38 | 46 |
| Other agri-environmental schemes | 10 | 16 | 34 | 46 | 49 | 59 |
| Other subsidies(23) | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Total(24) | 957 | 1,998 | 2,002 | 2,456 | 3,095 | 2,820 |
(23)Includes CAP, non-CAP and national payments.
(24)Excludes levies.
Notes:
1. Numbers may not add up due to rounding.
2. Agriculture in the United Kingdom.
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 203W
Mr. Sawford: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average subsidy paid to each British farmer in the last year for which figures are available. [105991]
Ms Quin: The total amount of subsidies (less levies) paid to UK farmers in 1998 (the last year for which figures are available) was estimated to be £2,673 million. The total number of farm holdings (excluding minor holdings) in 1998 was 237,900. The average subsidy per farm holding was therefore just over £11,200. Information is held on a holding by holding basis, rather than farmer by farmer.
This average includes those holdings upon which no subsidies were received.
Farming (Berkshire)
Mrs. May: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many people in total were employed in agriculture in Berkshire for the years (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98 and (c) 1998-99. [108420]
Ms Quin [holding answer 3 February 2000]: The information requested is provided in the table.
| Year | Total labour force |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 2,229 |
| 1997 | 2,162 |
| 1998 | 2,254 |
| 1999 | 2,107 |
Source:
Agricultural and Horticultural Census
In 1998 fundamental changes were introduced to the labour questions of the census. It appears that this change may have led to the recording of additional labour that were not previously included in the returns. Caution is therefore advised when comparing the 1998 and 1999 results with previous years.
Research and Development
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was Government spending on research and development relating to (a) organic farming, (b) agricultural genetic engineering and (c) agricultural biotechnology, at 1999 prices, from 1 April 1999 to the latest available date. [108638]
Ms Quin [holding answer 4 February 2000]: Planned MAFF spending in 1999-2000 in these areas is as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| (a) Organic farming | 2.017 |
| (b) Agricultural genetic engineering (including risk assessment and relevant veterinary research) | 3.572 |
| (c) Agricultural biotechnology | ca 24.0 |
Notes:
1. Organic farming benefits also from much of the research the Ministry undertakes on aspects of conventional farming. In 1999-2000, MAFF plans to spend some £8 million on biological control techniques, plant health, animal welfare and wildlife conservation on farms.
2. Funding is also provided by the research councils and other Government Departments for these topics.
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 204W
In the time available, it is not possible to provide figures for actual in-year spending to date from 1 April 1999. These would, in any event, reflect the particular phasing of payments for individual projects, and the invoicing arrangements across a substantial number of contractors, and thus be potentially misleading.
Media Releases
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the average cost of issuing a media release from his Department in the last 12 months. [108890]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 8 February 2000]: The average cost of issuing a media release, using latest figures available, is £244. Of which, £76 is the cost of production and £168 the cost of distribution.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will list the dates since 1 August 1999 on which he (i) met and (ii) spoke by telephone with the (a) Spanish Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, (b) the Irish Minister for Agriculture and Food, (c) the Italian Minister for Agricultural Policies, (d) the Luxembourg Minister for Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development and (e) the Dutch Minister for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries; [108425]
- (2) if he will list the dates since 1 August 1999 on which he (i) met and (ii) spoke by telephone with the (a) Austrian Federal Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, (b) the Portuguese Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries, (c) the Finnish Minister for Agriculture, (d) the Swedish Minister for Agriculture, (e) the Agriculture Commissioner of the European Union and (f) the American Secretary of Agriculture; [108428]
(3) if he will list the dates since 1 August 1999 on which he (i) met and (ii) spoke by telephone with (a) the Belgian Minister for Agriculture and Small and Medium Sized Businesses, (b) the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, (c) the German Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and (d) the Greek Minister for Agriculture. [108427]
Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 3 February 2000]: There are regular contacts between EU agriculture Ministers and the agriculture Commissioner within the margins of agriculture councils and at other times by telephone. In addition, there are regular contacts between officials acting on behalf of Ministers and the Commissioner.
I plan to meet the American Secretary of Agriculture later this month.
West Devon Meats
Mr. Breed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the reasons behind the decision to withdraw from West Devon Meats the contract to slaughter cattle under the over-thirty-months scheme. [101913]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 13 December 1999]: Contracts have been awarded to abattoir to slaughter over-thirty-months scheme (OTMS) animals, effective
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 205W
from 4 January 2000. Decisions were reached following a competitive tender under which bids were evaluated against objective criteria, including quality of service, price, ability to offer a dedicated service, ease of supervision, throughput and locations.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |