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45. West Penwith Moors46. Anglesey
47. Lleyn
48. Southern Snowdonia
49. East Montgomeryshire and East Radnorshire
50. Mynydd Elenydd
51. Radnor Forest and South Radnorshire Uplands
52. Black Mountain
53. Black Mountains, West Brecon Beacons
54. Gower
55. Teifi
56. Pembrokeshire
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of occasions that the farmers liaison group for each environmentally sensitive area has met since 1 July.
Mr. Ryder : There are no farmers liaison groups in any environmentally sensitive area.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the statutory and voluntary organisations represented on the formal liaison groups for each of the environmentally sensitive areas in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Ryder : There are no formal liaison arrangements in any environmentally sensitive area, although informal arrangements exist which vary to meet local needs and circumstances. In all cases regular contact is maintained with a wide range of statutory and voluntary organisations who have an interest in the scheme.
Less Favoured Areas
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions in each of the last five years hill livestock compensatory allowances have been refused to farmers in the less favoured areas on the grounds that the ewe density on the farms concerned exceeded the European Community stocking limits.
Mr. Donald Thompson : The EC structures regulation (797 85), which provides the basic framework for paying HLCAs, does not currently impose European Community stocking limits as such, although allowances may not exceed 101 ECUs per livestock unit and per hectare. Because the rates set in the United Kingdom have been below the 101 ECUs limit, it has not in itself affected ewe stocking densities.
However, under national legislation, limits are imposed on the number of ewes per hectare on which HLCAs are paid (six in the severely disadvantaged areas and nine in the disadvantaged areas).
Quangos (Appointments)
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer on 10 July, how much it would cost to provide the information on appointments to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Assuming around 90 entries, my best estimate is about £500.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Sir Hugh Rossi : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans exist to ensure the safe disposal of both chlorofluorocarbon refrigerent material
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and chlorofluorocarbon II in the foam in refrigeration and air-cooling equipment under the control of his Department.Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment today.
Food Stockpiles
Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what is the total amount of wheat, beef and olive oil which is stockpiled : (i) in the United Kingdom and (ii) in the European Economic Community as a whole, in : (a) 1989, (b) 1984 and (c) 1979 ; and what was the total cost of storage and maintaining these for 1988.
Mr. Donald Thompson [pursuant to his reply, 6 July 1989, c. 242- 44.] : An error has occurred in my previous reply. The correct figures of the cost of storing and maintaining these stocks during 1988 was :
£ million<5>
|European Community|United Kingdom
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cereals<4> |153 |14
Beef |119 |8
Olive oil |26 |0
|------- |-------
Total |298 |22
Footnotes:
<4>Separate breakdown for wheat not available.
<5>Expenditure charged to the 1988 budget relates to expenditure during the
period November 1987 to 15 October 1988.
Research
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all the research projects currently carried out at his experimental centres at Brogdale, Lizcombe, Luddington and Rosewarne.
Mr. Ryder : The following Government-funded R and D projects are currently being carried out, in whole or in part, at the experimental centres indicated.
Publicly funded projects (whole or part) at Luddington EHS 1989-90 CP27 Investigations to assist in the interpretation of data from surveys of pesticide residues in agriculture and horticulture produce
FNO2 Container grown nursery stock production
FNO3 Field grown nursery stock selection and propagation FNO4 Field grown nursery stock production
GTO1 Apples and pears variety trialling
GTO2 Apples and pears-production
GT03 Plums and cherries variety trialling
GT04 Plums and cherries production
GT05 Cider apples and other fruit for juicing
GT10 Strawberries variety trialling
GT11 Strawberries production
GT12 Cane bush and other fruits variety trialling
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GT13 Cane bush and other fruits productionGT21 Fruit, soil management and crop nutrition
GT22 Top fruit pest and disease control
GT23 Soft fruit control of pests and diseases
PC02 Lettuce production and varieties
PC04 Tomato production
VG01 Brassicas, variety evaluation
VG02 Brassica crop production
VG05 Salads, variety evaluation
VG10 Alliums, variety evaluation
VG11 Alliums production
VG20 Other vegetables variety evaluation
VG21 Other vegetables-crop production
VG25 Field vegetable, soil management and nutrition
VG26 Field vegetable pest control
VG29 To develop improved post harvest handling and storage techniques for minimising wastage and extending market life Commercial contract and levy- funded R and D is not included. Publicly funded projects (whole or part) at Rosewarne EHS 1989-90 FN10 Narcissus variety trialling propagation stock selection and evaluation
FN11 Narcissus production
FN12 Other bulbs and bulb flowers varieties and propagation FN21 Bulb diseases
AR01 Early potatoes-variety testing
AR03 Early potatoes-production agronomy
VG01 Brassicas, variety evaluation
VG02 Brassica crop production
VG13 Roots production
VG25 Field vegetables, soil management and nutrition
VG27 Diseases of field vegetables and their control
Publicly funded projects (whole or part) at Brogdale EHS 1989-90 GT01 Apples and pears variety trialling
GT02 Apples and pears--production
GT03 Plums and cherries variety trialling
GT04 Plums and cherries production
GT10 Strawberries variety trialling
GT11 Strawberries production
GT12 Cane bush & other fruits variety trialling
GT13 Cane bush and other fruits production
GT21 Fruit, soil management and crop nutrition
GT22 Top fruit pest and disease control
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EC22 Propagation weaning and growing on farm woodland nursery transplantsFN01 Container grown nursery stock selection and propagation Publicly funded projects (whole or part) at Liscombe EHF 1989-90 BC02 Reproduction and rearing of beef cattle
BC03 Finishing systems
EC20 The establishment and management of small farm woodlands BN02 Evaluation of the resistance to deterioration of alternative floor surface treatments in bunker
GR02 Sward establishment and management for grazing and conservation
GR10 Grass and forage conservation
SH01 Genetics--sheep breeding
SH02 Reproduction rearing and the nutrition of the ewe an suckling lamb
SH03 Nutrition and management of the weaned lamb
SH04 Multicomponent studies housing and handling
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many staff are currently employed at the Institute of Horticultural Research at Littlehampton ; how many staff will be made redundant when the institute closes in three years' time ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : I have been asked to reply.
The complement of full-time staff employed at IHR Littlehampton is 177. There are 33 part-time staff. The number likely to be make redundant when the Littlehampton site closes cannot be forecast but will be kept to a minimum by redeployment of staff between sites in the institutes and elsewhere in the AFRC and by natural wastage in the period until the closure. The timetable for restructuring is still uncertain. A start will depend on extra funding for a building programme and transfer costs and three years will be needed to complete the process.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all the projects currently undertaken at the Institute of Horticultural Research at Littlehampton ; if he will indicate which projects are due to be relocated when the site is closed in three years' time ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : I have been asked to reply.
The programmes currently undertaken at the AFRC Institute of Horticultural Research, Littlehampton are :
Energy saving in glasshouses.
Production systems for protected crops.
Control of pests and diseases of protected crops.
Evaluation of biological and other novel methods for pest control. Mushrooms.
Production of ornamental bulbs and corms.
Control of diseases and pests of ornamental bulbs and corms. Development of integrated control techniques for pests of outdoor crops.
Molecular and cell biology of strategic plant processes. Other programmes undertaken jointly at Littlehampton and at the East Malling and Wellesbourne sites of IHR, are :
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Breeding and selection of hardy ornamental nursery stock. Propagation and production of hardy ornamentals.Crop protection of hardy ornamentals.
Optimum harvesting, storage and marketing conditions for top fruit and soft fruit.
Horticultural crop improvement by non-conventional methods. Physiology and biochemistry of crop development.
Root development and function.
Investigation of host/pathogen relationships.
Development of novel methods of pest and disease control. There are also several industrially-supported projects which supplement AFRC funded programmes.
Under the AFRC's restructuring plan, implementation of which will depend on the extra funding for a building programme and transfer costs, most Littlehampton programmes will be transferred to the principal IHR research station at Wellesbourne.
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