Small Farms (Hansard, 25 March 1993)

§ 6. Mr. Amess
To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new measures are being contemplated to assist small farms.

§ Mr. Curry
Our policy does not distinguish between farms according to size. Our plans to reform agricultural tenancies should, however, help people to enter the industry through liberalising the rented sector.

§ Mr. Amess
Will my hon. Friend accept that the 28 farms and smallholdings in my constituency of Basildon welcome the proposals that he has just outlined? Will he recognise that many of those farmers support the deregulation of farming as they complain to me that they seem to have more forms to fill in than animals to feed?

§ Mr. Curry
The people of Basildon are the first to demand firm controls and clear accountability when spending taxpayers' money. That is why they re-elected my hon. Friend to represent them—the result which shook the world, or at least the BBC. My hon. Friend can assure the smallholders and taxpayers of Basildon that we have the lightest and simplest controls consistent with ensuring that their money is properly spent.

§ Mr. Flynn
Does the Minister agree that the best thing that he could do to help small farms would be to make productive the set-aside land that is now running to waste? If it were used to grow biodiesel fuels, 750,000 tonnes could be grown, 7,000 jobs would be created and we should become less dependent on imported fuel. Biodiesel fuel is environmentally friendly. Why have France and Germany roared ahead with the mass production of biodiesels when all that we have is three buses running on such fuel? Why have we been so laggardly?

§ Mr. Curry
The very small farmers do not have to set aside land. The real answer lies with the non-rotational scheme. That gives the possibility of planting crops, of biomass, of woodland and of recreational purposes—opportunities which are not realistic under rotational set-aside. We plan to build the non-rotational scheme to give just those advantages.