Mrs. Gilroy: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out, with statistical information relating as
directly as possible to (a) Plymouth, Sutton constituency, (b) Plymouth, Devonport constituency and (c) South-West Devon
constituency, the effects on the Plymouth unitary authority area of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.
[158026]
Ms Quin: [holding answer 23 April 2001]: MAFF does not hold statistical information on a constituency basis relating to the
Department's policies. Information on land use, crop areas, livestock numbers, and labour on holdings in England by parliamentary
constituency has been produced from 1 June 1999 annual agricultural and horticultural census. A copy has been placed in the Library
of the House. Information from the 1 June 2000 census has been placed in the House Library.
As many of the Department's policies flow from measures agreed within the framework of the EU common agricultural policy,
statistical data are normally available on a UK or England basis. Farmers in the UK receive approximately £3 billion per year in
direct CAP payments. This does not include the significant additional costs to consumers as a result of CAP price supports which
keep EU prices above prevailing world prices. The value of direct CAP payments to the average farmer is set out in the table.
Average subsidies received by full-time farm businesses--England 1999-2000
£000
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Of which:
Total direct Crop subsidies Livestock subsidies Agri-environment Other{ 1}
subsidies
Cereals 37.8 34.2 2.3 1.0 0.1
General cropping 31.8 28.8 2.4 0.6 0.0
Horticulture 0.40 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2
Pigs and poultry 3.6 2.2 1.4 0.1 0.0
Dairy 8.5 2.8 4.9 0.8 0.0
LFA cattle and Sheep 29.3 0.4 25.4 3.3 0.2
Lowland cattle and sheep 14.1 1.7 10.6 1.8 0.0
Mixed 33.8 21.4 10.7 1.7 0.0
All types 22.5 14.8 6.4 1.2 0.1
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
{1} Includes capital grants and any other miscellaneous grants. These reflect a combination of nationally funded and partly match
funded schemes Notes: 1. HLCA payments to hill farms are included under livestock subsidies 2. The figures show direct subsidy
payments; they do not include allowance for the financial benefit of prices supported above world market levels under the CAP
Source: Farm Business Survey
In addition to CAP direct payments, farmers in the UK are benefiting from £1.35 billion in short-term financial relief since 2 May
1997.
This incudes £785 million in agrimonetary compensation worth some £4,800 per average arable farmer, £3,200 per average dairy farmer,
£1,400 per average sheep farmer, and £1,140 and £3,800 per average farmer for agrimonetary compensation related to the beef special
premium scheme and suckler cow premium scheme respectively.
The Government are committed to securing a more economically rational CAP. We aim to redirect public money from agricultural price
support mechanisms to rural development measures of benefit to the wider rural community and visitors to the countryside.
Since May 1997, the Government are committed to securing a more economically rational CAP. We aim to redirect public money from
agricultural price support mechanisms to rural development measures of benefit to the wider rural community and visitors to the
countryside.
Since May 1997, the Government have more than doubled expenditure on agri-environment schemes in England. We now have more than
twice as much land covered by countryside stewardship agreements and we have increased the funding of organic conversion from
£571,000 in 1997-98 to £12 million in 2000-01 and £18 million in 2001-02. Full-time hill farmers in England will be in receipt of
some £6,360 on average following the introduction of the hill farm allowance scheme this year. This compares to £4,048 under the
hill livestock compensatory allowance in 1996-97.
One of the most important outcomes of Agenda 2000 was the establishment of the rural development regulation, which is being
implemented in England through the England rural development programme (ERDP), investing around £1.6 billion in rural areas over the
period 2000-06.
Farmers in South-West Devon can benefit from schemes available under the ERDP. Three of the schemes within the programme--rural
enterprise, processing and marketing, and vocational training--have a budget of around £190 million and are being operated on a
regional basis; each region has its own allocation. These allocations are set out in the ERDP.
Furthermore, by supporting rural development, including diversification into tourist activities, and by conserving and enhancing the
rural environment through support for public goods such as biodiversity and landscape appearance, the ERDP offers benefits to all
who visit the countryside.
Consumers in Plymouth, Sutton, Plymouth, Devonport and South-West Devon will benefit from the Agenda 2000 reforms of the CAP in the
form of reduced food bills, with the average saving for a typical family rising to £65 a year by 2010.In relation to the
Department's responsibility for fisheries policy, our key priority is to protect our fisheries resources for the future and we are
taking firm action to ensure a viable future for the fishing industry. The last set of grant schemes, which ended in 1999, invested
over £27 million in measures to help the fishing industry in England. Fishermen operating in the Plymouth, Sutton, Plymouth,
Devonport and South-West Devon constituencies will now benefit from the £22.5 million aid package announced on 2 April, to help
restructure the English fishing industry, to improve the quality and value of the catch, and to retrain fishermen and rejuvenate
fishing ports.