HC Deb 15 December 1983 vol 50 cc1154-5
11. Mr. Colvin

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many dairy farmers have gone out of milk production as a result of the non-marketing and conversion scheme since it came into operation.

Mr. MacGregor

The final report by the Commission on the non-marketing and conversion premium schemes indicates that nearly 123,000 applications were approved under these schemes in the period July 1977 to December 1981. In addition, a small number of applications were approved after 1981. In the United Kingdom there were some 8,300 successful applications under the scheme.

Mr. Colvin

Will my hon. Friend say how many of those farmers, having taken substantial compensation, are now back in dairying? Would it not have been a great deal better if the five-year limit had been a 10-year limit? Has the European Commission made any more acceptable proposals for limiting milk production, proposals which would stand a better chance of working and would be fair to British dairy farmers, who are the most efficient in the world?

Mr. MacGregor

I regret that no statistics are available about those who have come back in, as the scheme required producers only to give up milk production for a maximum period of five years. It is probable that a number have come back in, and that is one of the many criticisms that could be made of the scheme, which I do not think was cost-effective. The Commission has not come forward with proposals, but in view of our criticisms of the operation of the scheme we should look critically at any such proposals.

Mr. Robert Hughes

Will the Minister discover how many farmers have come back into dairying, as I understand that it is an accelerating process?

Mr. MacGregor

I shall certainly look into that. Because we do not have the information, we should have to send out further surveys. I shall have to look into that aspect. In view of what I said—that the scheme no longer exists and that we should be critical of any scheme in anything like that form—I hope that it becomes an academic question.