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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 7 February 2005
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Agriculture Support
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on Government support for the agriculture industry in the last financial year. [210903]
Alun Michael: The latest published figure for UK expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy and on national grants and subsidies for agriculture is £3.1billion for 2002–03 1 . This figure includes direct product subsidies, other subsidies on production, capital grants, transfers, other payments and CAP market support but does not include other expenditure of benefit to farmers and the farming community such as expenditure on animal health, research, advice and education.
Bovine TB
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the levels of bovine TB in North-West Leicestershire. [211158]
Mr. Bradshaw: We do not hold bovine TB surveillance data for individual constituencies. However TB data is available for Leicestershire. At the end of November 2004 there were 3,187 registered cattle herds in the county. Of these, 49 herds (1.5 per cent.) were under restriction at some point between 1 January and 30 November 2004. There were 36 new herd TB incidents during this period, of which 13 have been confirmed to date (three remain unclassified). TB surveillance data for Leicestershire is published each month on Defra's website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/stats/index.htm.
The level of bovine TB in Leicestershire is low in comparison to some other areas of the country, e.g. South West England. We realise the importance of preventing the risk of TB spreading to new areas and that is why we introduced new measures at the end of 2004, e.g. changes to testing frequency and the imposition of movement restrictions immediately a test becomes overdue.
The data above are provisional and subject to change as more information becomes available. Information was downloaded from the State Veterinary Service database on 17–21 December 2004.
Common Agricultural Policy
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate
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she has made of the savings to UK public funds of reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy since their introduction in 2003. [213130]
Alun Michael: The UK contributes to the EU budget as a whole rather than to individual elements, and it is not therefore possible to make precise estimates of savings to UK public funds following the reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy. However, increased financial discipline and setting the CAP budget until 2013 will limit the burden that the CAP places on taxpayers. Cross-compliance and modulation of direct payments into agri-environment schemes means that a greater proportion of public funds are now delivering better value for society by buying public goods not readily provided by the market. The Government will continue to press for further reforms which reduce the cost to taxpayers of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Dairy Farming
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farms there were in England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what the estimated figure is for 2004–05. [211907]
Alun Michael: The following figures show holdings in England where dairy is the predominant activity. Estimates for 2004 are not available.
| Dairy holdings | |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 20,579 |
| 1995 | 19,632 |
| 1996 | 18,904 |
| 1997 | 18,007 |
| 1998 | 17,014 |
| 1999 | 16,313 |
| 2000 | 15,219 |
| 2001 | 14,106 |
| 2002 | 14,342 |
| 2003 | 13,556 |
Note:
Figures prior to 2000 show main holding only. From 2000 onwards minor holdings are included.
Source:
June Agricultural Census.
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farm workers were employed on dairy farms in England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what the estimated number is for 2004–05. [211908]
Alun Michael: The figures as follows show the number of workers on holdings in England where dairy is the predominant activity. The figures include casual and family workers but exclude farmers, partners, directors and salaried managers. Estimates for 2004 are not available.
| 1994 | 25,976 |
| 1995 | 25,196 |
| 1996 | 24,273 |
| 1997 | 22,991 |
| 1998 | 20,210 |
| 1999 | 17,941 |
| 2000 | 15,477 |
| 2001 | 13,934 |
| 2002 | 13,961 |
| 2003 | 12,717 |
Notes:
(a)Figures prior to 2000 show main holdings only. From 2000 onwards minor holdings are included.
(b)Due to a register improvement exercise in 2001 labour figures prior to this are not directly comparable with later results.
Source:
June Agricultural Census
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Departmental Grants
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which councils have benefited from support under (a) the Vital Villages Scheme, (b) the Quality Parish Scheme and (c) the Market Towns Initiative since 2001. [213135]
Alun Michael: Each of these programmes has directed grants to communities, town and parish councils, service providers and regional partnerships, not to local authorities.
The list (annex 1) sets out the councils whose areas have benefited from support under the Vital Villages Scheme and the Market Town Initiative, and those town and parish councils, which have been supported under the Quality Parish Scheme. The list will be made available in the Library of the House.
Fallen Stock Disposal Scheme
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of farmers have registered with the Fallen Stock Disposal Scheme; and if she will make a statement on its (a) introduction and (b) running. [211625]
Mr. Bradshaw: The National Fallen Stock Company is pleased with the response it has had from farmers to the scheme with over 20,000 members in the UK joining in the first eight weeks.
It is not possible to express this as a percentage of all farmers as only some farmers have livestock and one farm business may cover a number of livestock holdings. Although, as the company expected, there have been some teething problems while the Scheme is bedding in, this is an encouraging start.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have signed up to the National Fallen Stock Company. [211640]
Mr. Bradshaw: The National Fallen Stock Company has reported that as of the 31 January 2005 some 20,464 members had been registered across the UK.
Farm Incomes
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average level of farm income has been in each year since 1987. [213153]
Alun Michael:
Information on Total Income from Farming (TIFF) per full-time person equivalent for the years 1987 to 2004 is given in the following table.
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Total Income from Farming (TIFF) is income generated by production within the agriculture industry, including subsidies. It represents business profits plus remuneration for work done by owners and other unpaid workers.
Farm Subsidies
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which types of farmers are eligible for single payment scheme hardship payments for agri-environment participants. [211727]
Alun Michael: Farmers whose production was adversely affected in the reference period 2000–02 by participation in an agri-environment scheme can apply (up until the deadline of 28 February) to have the affected years for affected subsidy schemes ignored when calculating their entitlements under the single payment scheme.
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