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Exports
Mr. Watts: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what contribution the export of (a) cattle and (b) sheep has made to the British economy over the last five years. [156269]
Ms Quin [holding answer 30 March 2001]: The estimated value of (a) live cattle and beef and (b) live sheep and sheepmeat exports from the United Kingdom over the last five years are shown in the table.
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| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000(9) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK exports of livestock | ||||||
| Live Cattle | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Live Sheep | 103 | 83 | 71 | 76 | 72 | |
| UK exports of meat(10) | ||||||
| Beef | 140 | 16 | 13 | 20 | 19 | |
| Sheepmeat | 303 | 258 | 218 | 206 | 197 | |
(9) Provisional
(10) Includes meat of non-UK origin imported into the UK and then exported under the XAP scheme
Source:
ANIMO, HM Customs and Excise
Food Procurement Standards
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what standards the Government are setting for the (a) catering, (b) food manufacturing and (c) fast food sectors in their procurement of products from the agricultural industry; and if he will establish a code of practice for these sectors. [157580]
Ms Quin [holding answer 9 April 2001]: The Government have no plans to prescribe standards for this purpose or to establish a code of practice for these sectors, but we encourage good communication across the food chain in a number of ways.
Sand Eel Fishery
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his oral statement of 20 March 2001, Official Report, column 54WH, if he will publish the scientific advice on the level of the by-catch in the sand eel fishery. [157952]
Mr. Morley: This was summarised in an article on sand eels in Fishing News on Friday, 6 April. Table 1 gives details of haddock, whiting and cod by-catches in industrial fisheries for 1995-1999.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) the names of the British scientists and discard experts who will work on board Danish industrial fishing vessels fishing for sand eels up
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to the end of June, (b) the names and registration numbers of the vessels involved and (c) the area in which they will be fishing. [157832]
Mr. Morley: Following initial contacts with the Danish authorities arrangements are being made for two discard experts from CEFAS to spend time on Danish fisheries protection vessels later this month. They will board Danish sand eel vessels as necessary fishing in the eastern closed area. Arrangements are also being made for CEFAS scientists to be on board Danish sand eel vessels fishing in June and July in the central North sea.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if UK scientists will (a) monitor the landing of the catches of fishing vessels engaged in the current research programme into sand eels and (b) be allowed full access to the landing and processing area. [157829]
Cod
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of the British allocation of cod was caught in (a) the Norwegian and (b) the EU sector in each of the past three years. [157830]
Mr. Morley: The percentages of UK North sea cod quota caught in the Norwegian and EU sectors are:
(11) Provisional
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Departmental Policies (Ribble Valley)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Ribble Valley constituency, the effects on Ribble Valley of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [157852]
Ms Quin: 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 1 June 2000 census will be available shortly and also 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.
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 43W
| £000 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Of which: | |||||
| Total direct subsidies | Crop subsidies | Livestock subsidies | Agri-environment | Other(12) | |
| Cereals | 37.8 | 34.2 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| General Cropping | 31.8 | 28.8 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Horticulture | 0.4 | 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 |
(12) Includes capital grants and any other miscellaneous grants. These reflect a combination of nationally funded and partly match funded schemes.
Notes:
HLCA payments to hill farms are included under livestock subsidies.
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
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 43W
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 includes £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
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 44W
farmer for agrimonetary compensation related to the Beef Special Premium Scheme and Suckler Cow Premium Scheme respectively.
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
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 45W
£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 with £4,048 under the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance in 1996-97.
Farmers in Ribble Valley can benefit from schemes available under the England Rural Development Programme, which is backed by funding of £1.6 billion over the period 2000-06. Three of the schemes within this 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 England Rural Development Programme.
Consumers in Ribble Valley 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.
Departmental Policies (Tiverton and Honiton)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out, with statistical
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information relating as directly as possible to the Tiverton and Honiton constituency, the effects on Tiverton and Honiton of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [157812]
Ms Quin: 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 will be available shortly and also 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.
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 45W
| £000 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crop subsidies | Livestock subsidies | Agri-environment | Other(13) | Total direct subsidies | |
| Cereals | 34.2 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 37.8 |
| General cropping | 28.8 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 31.8 |
| Horticulture | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Pigs and poultry | 2.2 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 3.6 |
| Dairy | 2.8 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 8.5 |
| LFA cattle and sheep | 0.4 | 25.4 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 29.3 |
| Lowland cattle and sheep | 1.7 | 10.6 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 14.1 |
| Mixed | 21.4 | 10.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 33.8 |
| All types | 14.8 | 6.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 22.5 |
(13) 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
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 45W
In addition to CAP direct payments, farmers in the UK are benefiting from £1.35 billion in short term financial relief since 2 May 1996.
This includes £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.
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
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 46W
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.
Farmers in Tiverton and Honiton can benefit from schemes available under the England Rural Development Programme, which is backed by funding of £1.6 billion over the period 2000-06. Three of the schemes within this 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 England Rural Development Programme.
Consumers in Tiverton and Honiton 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.
23 Apr 2001 : Column: 47W
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