Earl of Dalkeithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the gross value per annum averaged over a 50-year period at constant prices of the output obtaining from an acre of average hill land in the North of England growing trees of the most appropriate species and a similar acre of land devoted to hill sheep farming.
§ Mr. John MackieI estimate that at the end of a 50-year period the gross 123W returns which might be expected from an acre of forestry in the North of England would be of the order of £900. A similar acre devoted to hill sheep farming might produce about £5 a year throughout the period. Because of the time-lag in forestry, a comparison between these figures would not be meaningful.
Earl of Dalkeithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the annual cost to the Exchequer in the form of direct grants and subsidies averaged over a 50-year period at constant prices of an average acre of hill land in the northern half of England when devoted to forestry under dedication and hill sheep farming, respectively.
§ Mr. John MackieThe present cost is about £1 10s. 0d. per acre in each case.
Earl of Dalkeithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the number of men directly employed each year on an average 10,000 acres of hill farming type land over a 50-year period when devoted to forestry and sheep farming, respectively; and if he will further estimate the ancillary employment due to transporting and processing the product.
§ Mr. John MackieI estimate that the number directly engaged in forestry at the present time is about 70 per 10,000 acres and for hill sheep about 30 per 10,000 acres. I can make no reliable estimate of the numbers employed in ancillary activities.
Earl of Dalkeithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many acres of hill farming land, including land designated as national parks, in England are suitable for afforestation; and what is the present acreage of such land under productive woodland management.
§ Mr. John MackieAbout half of the 3 million or so acres of hill farming land in England is probably technically suitable for afforestation. About 600,000 acres of this type of land are already under productive woodland management.