§ 33. Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on compensation to hill farmers in Cumbria for losses arising from the Chernobyl incident.
§ 35. Mr. Ray Powellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received regarding compensation of farmers for losses incurred as a result of restrictions on the movement, sale and slaughter of sheep; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JoplingFolllowing discussions with industry representatives, we have introduced three schemes of compensation for sheep producers in the areas in which movement and slaughter restrictions have been imposed. The first scheme helps producers of those finished lambs which, through being held back, were subsequently rejected for variable premium on the ground of over-fatness when the areas were released from restrictions. The second scheme compensates producers for their market price losses on marked sheep released from the designated areas which were presented at store markets and sales, as well as liveweight certification centres. The third scheme provides assistance towards the direct costs incurred by producers of finished lambs and cast ewes. The Government consider that these compensation arrangements represent a fair and balanced response to the needs of sheep producers whose marketing, prices and costs have been affected by the restrictions.