Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on European support payments to farmers in each of the last five years.
Answer
[holding answer 2 November 2006]: The following table shows payments made through CAP schemes and Rural Development Programmes to farmers in the United Kingdom for the period 2001 to 2005 as recorded in the production and income account of the economic account for agriculture. They exclude payments made through the Over Thirty Month Scheme, compensation for losses due to animal disease and capital transfers. The proportion of EU funding for each scheme is shown in the right hand column.
| Direct payments made through CAP schemes and rural development programmes to farmers in the United Kingdom¹ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ million | ||||||
| Calendar years | ||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005² | EU funding (percentage) | |
| Crop subsidies | ||||||
| Arable Area payments (except set-aside) | 827 | 875 | 924 | 901 | 0 | 100 |
| Arable Area Payments on set-aside | 180 | 143 | 177 | 129 | — | 100 |
| Other crop subsidies³ | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 100 |
| Livestock subsidies | 100 | |||||
| Beef Special Premium4 | 241 | 236 | 238 | 266 | — | 100 |
| Suckler Cow Premium4 | 219 | 204 | 208 | 230 | — | 100 |
| Slaughter Premium | 76 | 133 | 136 | 156 | — | 100 |
| Extensification Payment Scheme | 118 | 137 | 145 | 154 | — | 100 |
| Beef National Envelope | 19 | 34 | 34 | 36 | — | 100 |
| Scottish Beef Calf Scheme | — | — | — | — | 20 | 100 |
| Sheep Annual Premium | 181 | 264 | 276 | 300 | — | 100 |
| Sheep National Envelope | — | 10 | 10 | 17 | — | 100 |
| Dairy subsidies5 | 79 | — | — | 108 | — | 100 |
| Single Payment Scheme | — | — | — | — | 2375 | 100 |
| Rural Development Programmes: | ||||||
| Less favoured areas support schemes6 | 165 | 165 | 163 | 153 | 144 | |
| Agri-environment schemes: | ||||||
| Countryside Stewardship and | Schemes that are part of Rural Development Programmes are partly EU funded. Funding may be up to 50 per cent. depending on the national contribution to the scheme7. | |||||
| Arable Stewardship Schemes | 43 | 59 | 71 | 104 | 114 | 7— |
| Countryside Premium and Rural Stewardship Schemes | 9 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 7— |
| Tir Cymen and Tir Gofal | 10 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 7— |
| Countryside Management Scheme | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7— |
| Organic Aid and Organic Farming Schemes | 18 | 22 | 21 | 14 | 10 | 7— |
| Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme | 70 | 73 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 7— |
| Nitrate Sensitive Areas Scheme | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 7— |
| Other8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7— |
| ¹ Shows payments after deduction for modulation where appropriate. | ||||||
| ² Provisional. | ||||||
| ³ CAP hops and herbage seeds support; hemp and flax aid; oilseed rape and linseed support; protein crop premium; area aid for nuts; energy crops aid. | ||||||
| 4 Includes extensification premium and deseasonalisation premium. | ||||||
| 5 Includes agri-monetary compensation; dairy premium and additional dairy premium. | ||||||
| 6 Tir Mynydd in Wales, Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowance Scheme in Northern Ireland, Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme in Scotland and Hill Farm Allowance in England. | ||||||
| 7 As shown in the table. | ||||||
| 8 Includes Moorland, Habitat and Countryside Access Farming schemes; Entry Level Pilot Scheme. |