Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the value of the farm aid package announced on 30 March,
and if he will publish a breakdown of the components of the farm aid package, listing for each component (a) its value, (b) its
funding source, (c) eligible recipients, (d) conditions of eligibility, (e) time of availability, (f) budgetary year, (g) whether it
has previously been announced by (i) the Government and (ii) the European Commission and (h) if it has been approved by the European
Commission and, if not, when he expects such approval to be given. [117970]
Mr. Nick Brown: [holding answer 6 April 2000]: The Action Plan for Farming discussed at the Farming Summit on 30 March outlined a
programme of measures to help provide a proper, structured plan for the future. The aid measures amounting to over £200 million are
listed. Many of the other measures within the Action Plan will also have considerable benefit to the farming industry, though it is
not as yet possible to quantify these.
Action plan for farming (13 April 2000)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Measure Value (£ Funding source Eligible Time of Previously EC approval
million) recipients and availability announced
conditions of
eligibility
Introduce a scheme to {1}26 UK To be announced To be announced No An aid
encourage the notification has
restructuring of the pig been submitted
industry in order to to the EC
improve its long term
viability
Pay to dairy farmers all {1}22 UK (£11 million) Aid will be To be announced No An aid
the agrimonetary aid and EU{3} allocated in notification
that EU rules permit proportion to will be
this year only milk quota held submitted to the
on 31 March 2000 EC this month
Pay agrimonetary {1,2}22 EU{3} Payments will be The majority No An aid
compensation to beef made in will be payable notification
farmers of £22 million connection with in November, and will be
this year only. Payments Beef Special the remainder in submitted to the
will be made in Premium, Suckler the second EU this month
connection with Beef Cow Premium and quarter of 2001
Special Premium, Suckler Extensification
Cow Premium and Payments for the
Extensification Payments 2000 scheme year
for the 2000 scheme year
Agrimonetary {1}22 EU{3} Paid to Sheep Payments will be No An aid
compensation to sheep Annual Premium made with the notification
farmers of £22 million claimants in first advances will be
this year in respect of respect of the of Sheep Annual submitted to the
1999 scheme year claims 1999 scheme year Premium in EC this month
July/August
Increase support for {1}60 UK The majority of LFA support No The scheme has
hill farmers beyond the the moneys will payments are been submitted
level specified in the be added to the made in the to the EC for
Rural Development Plans budgets for the early months of approval under
submitted to the LFA compensatory each year the Rural
Commission allowances, Development
which will be Regulation; the
modified to changes will
assist need to be
restructuring so discussed with
as to strengthen the EC
the industry and
to make it
better able to
deliver the
social and
environmental
benefits
provided by
extensive sheep
and beef
grazing. The
remainder will
finance a
consultancy
programme to
improve hill
farmers' access
to business
skills
Seek from the Commission {4}20 UK Payable in To be determined No The Over Thirty
an increase in the respect of Months Scheme
maximum weight per cattle for cattle is an
animal on which slaughtered EU scheme and
compensation is payable under the Over thus changes to
under the Over Thirty Thirty Months its rules
Months Scheme Scheme require the EC
to make a
proposal to be
adopted by the
Beef Management
Committee on
which all member
states are
represented. A
formal request
to that effect
has been made to
the EC
Remove charges for dairy {1}1 UK All dairy To remove the No EC approval not
hygiene inspections in production charge, the needed
England as soon as the holdings in Dairy Products
necessary legislation England (Hygiene)
can be put in place (Charges)
Regulations 1995
will need to be
amended, which
we estimate will
take three
months
Hold the increase in {1}4.5 UK All operators of 2001-01 Confirmation EC approval not
meat inspection charges licensed meat that the required
for 2000- 01 to the rate plants in GB increase in Meat
of inflation Hygiene charges
will be kept to
the level of
inflation and
announcement
that this is
equivalent to
£4.5 million in
2000-01
Increase the rate of {2}3.5 UK Payable to As soon as EC No Existing scheme
grant under MAFF's Farm farmers in approval is is an approved
Waste Grant Scheme from Nitrate obtained State Aid.
25 per cent. of eligible Vulnerable Zones Approval is
expenditure (under which installing being sought for
uptake has been low) to improved manure an increase in
40 per cent. storage and rate
handling
facilities to
comply with
regulatory
measures
The Government will {1}4 UK Redundant farm To be announced No Existing scheme
double the Regional building owners is an approved
Development Agencies' State Aid
Redundant Building Grant
Programme, which
operates in Rural
Priority Areas, to £8
million in 2000-01
The Government will {5}2.3 UK UK Capital The European No EC approval not
allocate £2.3 million to Modernisation Centre will be required
create in England a Fund located at
European Centre for Horticulture
organic fruit and Research
nursery stock International in
East Malling,
Kent
A single charge for {6}4.7 UK Small For first No EC approval not
authorisation to dispose dischargers authorisation required
of used sheep dip, including
equivalent to the farmers who dip
current application sheep and need
charge of £85, should to dispose of
cover the full four-year sheep dip to
period of the initial land
authorisation. This
means that the current
annual charge of £107
will not be payable
during the first
four-year period
Business Restructuring in England:
The Government will {1}1 UK Industry, Scheme will be No Existing scheme
pump-prime the drive to organisation and launched in the is an approved
improve the partnerships next few weeks State Aid.
competitiveness of Approval will be
farmers by providing sought for
funding for business changes to the
improvement, on a scheme
challenge basis,
following the model of
the Agricultural
Development Scheme 1999
The Government will {1}1.2 UK Farmers in July 2000 No Existing scheme
provide funding of £1.2 England is an approved
million to Lantra State Aid.
(National Training Approval will be
Organisation for the sought for
Landbased Sector) to changes to the
promote the economic scheme
benefits of training and
to analyse the training
needs of 20,000 farm
businesses
The Government will help {1}6.5 UK Farmers in The new service No Need for EC
farmers develop better England is being planned approval to be
business practices to start on 1 confirmed
through tailored September 2000
business advice. As
farmers increasingly
diversify their
businesses, they will be
able to draw on the
wider expertise and
services of the Small
Business Service
The Government will {1}0.5 UK Farmers in Funds for rural No Need for EC
continue to support the England stress support approval to be
Rural Stress Information groups will be confirmed
Network by extending for available in the
at least a further year summer
the secondment of a MAFF
official to that
organisation. MAFF will
also increase the
provision of free advice
to those farmers
referred to it by
certain organisations.
The Government will
increase its support to
voluntary bodies dealing
with rural stress on the
basis of an action plan
it will draw up with
them by June
Launch an electronic {1}0.4 UK The whole The first phase No EC approval not
portal for farming industry will is planned to go needed
stand to benefit live by December
2000
Business restructuring {1}2 UK Details are to Details are to No Will depend on
aid for Scotland, Wales be announced in be announced in measures to be
and Northern Ireland due course by due course by announced
the devolved the devolved
Administrations Administrations
and Northern and Northern
Ireland Ireland
Total 203.5 -- -- -- -- --
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Note: In addition the Government will pay this year agrimonetary aid to arable farmers (£57 million, to be paid from mid-October
2000), sheep farmers (£10 million, being paid now) and beef farmers (£21 million, to be paid from mid-October 2000) which was
previously announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 22 September 1999. {1} In 2000-01 {2} In 2001-02 {3} 71
per cent. of the EU funding is borne by the UK because of the application of the Fontainebleau abatement {4} Estimate in 2000-01 {5}
Over 2 years: £0.3 million in 2000-01 and £1.961 in 2001-02 {6} Over 4 years