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EU Export Refunds
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Answer to Question 217200 tabled by the honourable Member for Rutland and Melton, if she will list the EU export refunds for each year from 1999 to 2003, broken down by commodity; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for the reduction between 2000 and 2001. [220335]
Alun Michael:
The following table sets out EU export refunds for the budget years 1999 to 2003, broken down by commodity:
Expenditure (€ million)
(6)Cereals and rice.
(7)Data for 2003 refers to appropriations for commitments entered in the budget for 2003.
Sources:
Agriculture in the European Union" for 2000–03 and The Agricultural Situation in the European Union" for 1999.
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For most commodities both the unit value of export refunds and the volume of subsidised exports declined between marketing years 1999–2000 and 2000–01.
Export refunds bridge the gap, for subsidised exports, between the high EU domestic prices and the lower world price. Expenditure on export refunds may vary for a number of reasons including, principally, conditions on world and domestic markets, changes in the €/$ rate of exchange and changes in the level of domestic institutional prices.
Changes in domestic and world market conditions are specific to individual commodities and it is therefore difficult to generalise. However, the EU-world price gap narrowed for a number of important commodities around 2001, primarily due to an increase in world prices (thus reducing the unit rate of export refund required for subsidised exports). Changes in the exchange rate have an impact across commodities: the value of the euro against the dollar declined between 1999 and 2001 thereby reinforcing the affects of the trends in world prices, in euro terms. In addition, domestic institutional prices for cereals and beef were subject to a stepped reduction, starting from 2000, under the Agenda 2000 CAP reforms.
It is significant to note that expenditure on export refunds remains highest in the sugar and dairy sectors where the UK is pressing for further reforms.
EU LIFE Directive
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which applications to her Department for funding under the EU LIFE Directive have been (a) successful, (b) unsuccessful and (c) received but are yet to be determined; and what grants were awarded to each successful project. [220759]
Mr. Morley:
The LIFE Regulation was set up by Council Regulation 1973/92/EEC in July 1992, with effect until 31 December 1995. The regulation was continued into a second phase by the adoption on 15 July 1996 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1404/96, amending the previous regulation, with effect until
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31 December 1999. A third phase, up to 31 December 2004, was begun on 17 July 2000 with the adoption of Regulation (EC) No. 1655/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council. On 14 September 2004 this regulation was extended until 31 December 2006.
The current LIFE Programme has three strands: Environment, Nature and Third Countries. LIFE Environment supports demonstration and pilot projects on methods for the protection and enhancement of the environment with particular emphasis on innovative technologies and new approaches. LIFE Nature supports the implementation of EU nature conservation policy, particularly Natura 2000. Applications from the UK are submitted through Defra to the European Commission for competitive evaluation against those from other member states. LIFE Third Countries funds technical assistance activities for capacity building in non-EU countries bordering the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas which have signed association agreements with the European Union and, therefore, the UK does not submit applications to this strand.
Since 1992, in the UK, LIFE has contributed over €100 million towards 122 innovative demonstration projects through LIFE Environment and 38 nature conservation projects through LIFE Nature.
Co-financing varies from around 30 per cent., where income is generated, to 50 per cent. for LIFE Environment and up to 75 per cent. for some LIFENature projects. On average around 50 per cent. of project costs are co-financed, meaning that the programme has generated around €200 million worth of investment in environment actions.
The current phase of LIFE (LIFE III) has, to date, supported 36 projects in the UK with €47 million of co-financing. Fourteen LIFE Nature projects secured €26.6 million and 22 LIFE Environment projects secured €20.4 million. Annexes 1 and 2, available in the Library of the House, list the projects supported under LIFE Environment and LIFE Nature respectively.
The following table shows, for the UK, the number of applications, number co-financed and amount of co-financing by year for both LIFE Environment and LIFE Nature under the current LIFE III programme.
(8)Originally nine projects were selected but two projects withdrew before funding commenced.
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In the most recent call for projects to commence in 2005, the UK submitted 26 applications to LIFE Environment and three to LIFE Nature. The list of projects to be co-financed will be known in the summer.
Greenhouse Gases
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere relative to the increase in the concentration of other greenhouse gases has been over the last 30years; what proportion of radioactive forcing is estimated to have been due to increases in (a) carbon dioxide and (b) other greenhouse gases over the last 30 years; and what the estimated temperature rises are from each of these increases. [220646]
Mr. Morley: The increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, during the period 1970 to 2000 was approximately 13.5 per cent. During the same period methane increased by approximately 26 per cent. and nitrous oxide by 7 per cent.
Of the radiative forcing due to man-made greenhouse gases experienced in the year 1970, about 65 per cent. was due to carbon dioxide, about 25 per cent. to methane, and about 5 per cent. to both nitrous oxide and the halocarbons. In 2000, about 60 per cent. of the radiative forcing from man-made gases was due to carbon dioxide, about 20 per cent. was due to methane, about 5 per cent. due to nitrous oxide, and the remainder due to halocarbons.
Due to complexities in the climate response to greenhouse gases, there is no simple link between radiative forcing and temperature change. There has been a global temperature rise of 0.5c between pre-industrial times (1860) and 1990, and a further temperature rise of approximately 0.2c since 1990.
Milk Forum
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the membership is of (a) the Milk Forum and (b) its sub-committees. [219779]
Alun Michael: The Dairy Supply Chain Forum, established by my noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, in July 2002 to encourage supply chain co-operation, increase efficiency and promote the sustainable development of industry is represented by the following organisations:
Aria Foods UK, British Retail Consortium, Country Land and Business Association, Dairy Crest Ltd., Dairy Farmers of Britain, Dairy UK, Defra, First Milk, Food and Drink Federation, Forgefirst Ltd., Milk Development Council, Milk Link, National Farmers' Union, Provision Trade Federation, Robert Wiseman Dairies, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, and the Tenant Farmers Association,
The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department, Scottish Milk Forum and Welsh Assembly Government attend as observers.
The Forum is chaired by my noble Friend Lord Whitty, with the secretariat provided by Defra.
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Aria Foods UK, Dairy Crest Ltd., Dairy Farmers of Britain, Dairy UK, Defra, First Milk, Forgefirst Ltd., HSBC, Milk Development Council, Milk Link, National Farmers' Union, Nestle, Robert Wiseman Dairies, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, Tesco.
British Retail Consortium, Dairy Farmers of Britain, Dairy UK, Defra, First Milk, Milk Development Council, Milk Link, National Farmers' Union. Defra chair and provides the secretariat for the Sub-Group.
British Cheese Board, Defra, Hindsight, Imperial College, Wye, Milk Development Council, OMSCo, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers.
Alvis Brothers Limited, Aria Foods UK, Associated Creameries Co-operative, British Cheese Board, Cricketer Farms, Dairy Crest Ltd., Dairy UK, Defra, Delaval, Deloitte Consulting and Technology Ltd., Dohler UK, Food From Britain, Highgrove Foods, Imperial College London, International Food Network Ltd., Lynher Dairies, Midlands Co-Op, Milk Development Council, Milk Link, Reaseheath College, Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, Safeway Stores plc, J Sainsbury plc, The Cheese Company, The Fifield Organisation, The Society of Dairy Technology, Waitrose, Welsh Development Agency, Yoplait Dairy Crest.
The Milk Development Council chair and provide the secretariat for the Sub-Group and Workshop.
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