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Chicken Imports
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of
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chickens have been imported into the UK in each of the last five years; and from which countries they have been imported. [10991]
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Jim Knight: Imports of chicken, chicken offal and live chickens in each of the last five years are provided in the following table:
Note:
1. Data prepared by Trade statistics, Food Chain Analysis 3, DEFRA.
2. 2004 data is subject to amendments.
Source:
H M Revenue and Customs
Cormorants
Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's policy on cormorant control following its first winter of operation. [12129]
Jim Knight: The cormorant model produced by the Central Science Laboratory is available on the Defra website:
and provides predictions of the effect of different licensing strategies on winter cormorant numbers in England. Information on the actual number of birds removed under license, and any change in winter cormorant numbers as a result of the policy are not yet available. The model and its predictions will be reviewed and updated as new information becomes available.
The effects of the new procedures are currently being reviewed by the Department in the light of experience gained from last season. It is expected that the review will be completed by early September.
EU Sugar Regime
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the EU Commission proposals for sugar reform; and if she will make a statement. [11049]
Jim Knight:
The Commission's proposals were announced on 22 June and will be formally presented to the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 18 July, when member states will give their initial reactions. In the
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meantime we have submitted a detailed Regulatory Impact Assessment to the Scrutiny Committees and also made it publicly available as background to the consultation exercise which we launched on 30 June.
Farm Single Payment Scheme
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers will receive their single payment scheme payments in February 2006; whether compensation will be paid to those who receive their payments after the due time; and if she will make advance payments to farmers in the event of foreseen delays. [11138]
Jim Knight: The payment window set out in EU legislation for the single payment scheme runs from 1 December 2005 to 30 June 2006. Our forecast of a February 2006 payment date for England fits comfortably within that window and remains our position. Payments made within the window do not attract compensation.
We have not ruled out the possibility of making advance payments or similar measures but there are real legal and practical difficulties in doing so and we would not want to take action that would delay the main payment.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single payment scheme applicants indicated on their applications that they did not know what had been grown on their land in the years before they purchased it. [10324]
Jim Knight: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has received 120,082 application forms under the Single Payment Scheme. These are currently being processed. Until the RPA has captured all data and completed validation a substantive answer to this question cannot be provided.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Single Payment Scheme applicants have been penalised for submitting application forms after the relevant deadline. [10326]
Jim Knight: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has received 120,082 application forms under the Single Payment Scheme. These are currently being processed. Until RPA has captured all data and completed validation definitive figures are not available. To date a total of 8,494 applications have been received after the 16 May 2005 deadline. Those applications received after 16 May will be processed in accordance with the scheme rules.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost effects of Single Payment Scheme application forms which failed to meet the deadline of 16 May; and what proportion of these were forms first received by her Department prior to 16 May but returned to the applicant for completion or amendment. [10359]
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Jim Knight: Until the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has captured all data and completed validation definitive figures are not available. To date 8,494 applications have been received after the deadline of 16 May 2005. Of that number 2,387 applications initially received before 16 May 2005 were referred to applicants for amendment and were not received back until after the deadline.
The Single Payment Scheme is funded by the EU. RPA therefore does not make savings from any reductions to scheme payments.
Tree Cover
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the percentage tree cover in England was (a) on the latest date for which figures are available, (b) 10 years ago and (c) 20 years ago. [11175]
Jim Knight: A national woodland survey is carried out by the Forestry Commission at intervals of between 15 and 20 years. The most recent country reports were published in 2001 and 2002 and these were based on fieldwork completed between 1994 and 2000. The results of the previous survey to this were published in the 1980 Census of Woodland, from fieldwork carried out between 1979 and 1982. The results are given in the following table:
Notes:
1. Differences in methodology between the two surveys may account for some of the differences.
2. Available breakdown by local authority relates to the structure in 1980
3. Northern Ireland figure published by the Forest Service.
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