§ 16. Alistair Burt (North-East Bedfordshire)What proposals she intends to bring forward to support the promotion of non-food crops in the UK. [81221]
§ The Minister for the Environment (Mr. Michael Meacher)DEFRA and the Department of Trade and Industry are consulting stakeholders on establishing a new centre to bring together industry, academia and the research community to drive forward the commercial development of non-food uses of crops. DEFRA and the DTI are also considering a joint initiative to provide grant support to promote technology transfer through demonstration projects. The Government have allocated £70 million to develop markets for biomass in heat, combined heat and power, and power generation.
§ Alistair BurtIs the Minister aware of the excellent campaign being run by Farmers Weekly to draw attention to the non-food use of crops? Does he not feel some sympathy for its sense of a lack of urgency on the part of the Government? With such terrible prices being paid in the arable sector, the non-food use of crops—which has been on the cards for some time—could have been given rather more attention by the Government than it has been up to now.
§ Mr. MeacherI am very keen to make progress on this, as I said in answer to an earlier question. This is an important area for agricultural diversification. We set up the forum on the non-food use of crops in March last year to give us strategic advice, and it has now done so. We intend to respond to the forum's recommendations in early 2003. The centre of excellence that we propose to set up, which brings together the existing facilities in one central core, is a very good way forward. I am very keen that we should make real progress in this area.