Plum Pox (Hansard, 29 January 1979)

§ Mr. Strang

Following the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chester-le-Street (Mr. Radice on 24 May 1978—Vol. 950, c.624–5.]—several discussions have been held with the National Farmers Union and the Nuclear Association Ltd., and both organisations have welcomed in principle suggestions put forward by officials of my Department. As a result my right hon. Friend, the Minister, has proposals for two new grant schemes.

The two schemes are intended to encourage the production and use of certified fruiting plum material, following the difficulties experienced with compensation payments for the destruction of suspect stock which, as I indicated in my earlier reply would be discontinued after 1978. Under the first of the two schemes, nurserymen would be able to claim up to 25 per cent of the cost of capital improvements needed to enable them to grow fruiting plum trees for certification, examples would be the cost of clearing diseased or suspect stock, preparing ground and buying such capital items as mother trees. The second scheme would make grants available to owners of commercial orchards who planted at least 10 certified plum trees under approved

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readily available for holiday cabin occupancy in 1976 or for the financial details of individual camp sites, but the information is being assembled and I shall reply to my hon. Friend about this as soon as possible.

arrangements. For 1979 it is envisaged that the rate of grant would be £1 for each two or three years old tree and 50p for each maiden, but these rates would be reviewed annually. These schemes, which would apply only in England and Wales since plum pox is not a problem in Scotland or Northern Ireland, would be regularly reviewed but are intended to operate for at least five years. We shall also be discussing some aspects in Brussels and the schemes would, of course, be subject to the approval of Parliament.

We have also been considering the problem of uncertified material, both for fruiting production and for ornamental use, in the light of the decision to end compensation. All infected material found on nurseries will continue to be destroyed as will all suspect material for fruiting. Suspect ornamental material does not present the same kind of immediate threat to commercial orchards as fruiting material, and here we shall be continuing the present movement restrictions designed to keep such material out of the main plum growing areas. This arrangement will be regularly reviewed, however, and further restrictions will be introduced if we find it necessary to do so.

All these measures emphasise the importance of certification and we are currently reviewing the scope for encouraging increased production of certified material generaly. In the meantime, to show our real awareness of the problems facing growers of certified material we intend to waive 50 per cent. of the charges for the generality of the voluntary schemes in 1979 and 90 per cent. for plum material 333W in view of the particular problems in this sector. These reductions will apply for one year only pending completion of the review. They will not apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland where certification schemes are arranged on a different basis.