§ Mr. Maxwell-Hyslopasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will publish the information given in Appendix 5 of the evidence given by his Department to the Trade and Industry Sub-Committee's inquiry into Milk Production, brought up to date.
§ Mr. BishopThe revised information is as follows:
(1) The number of applications received under the Dairy Herd Conversion Scheme to the end of December 1974—the last date for the receipt of applications—was:
Applications Number of dairy cows on these farms England 6,135 235,769 Wales 1,276 32,565 Scotland 693 40,975 Northern Ireland 627 15,328 United Kingdom 8,731 324,637 No details are being kept regarding size of farms. So far as size of herd is concerned information is available only for applications approved (see (2) below):
(2) The number of applications approved to the end of February 1975 was:
Herd size Number of approvals Number of dairy cows on these farms Number of dairy cows— 11–14 727 9,041 15–19 681 11,460 20–29 1,007 24,029 30 and over 2,038 116,021 Total 4,453 160,551 (3) Total payments under the scheme to the end of February 1975—inclusive of the percentage recoverable from the Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund—amounted to £11,406,926.
(4) The latest estimate for the cost of the scheme for the financial year 1974–75 now stands at 11.2 million.
(5) 50 per cent. of the payments under the scheme is recoverable from the Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.
(6) There is no upper limit to the eligible number of dairy cows.
(7) Throughout the four-year period of the producer's undertaking not to sell milk or milk products, the number of livestock units kept must equal or exceed the number he kept on 4th June 1973. To this end cattle and sheep have been assigned livestock unit values. Each 66W producer is free to decide the way in which he maintains or increases his livestock numbers. If, however, he continues to keep cattle, by the end of the third year after entry into the scheme no more than 20 per cent. of his cows and in-calf heifers may be of the Ayrshire, Guernsey or Jersey breeds or crosses between these breeds.