Mr. Jacksonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are his reasons for favouring a cereals land diversion scheme which is voluntary rather than compulsory.
§ Mr. Gummer[pursuant to his reply, 12 May 1987] I have put forward the idea of a voluntary land diversion scheme because such a scheme, if coupled with a prudent price policy, would provide an alternative to those producers farming land least suited to cereals and least able to cope with lower prices, and so directly encourage them to take land out of cereals production, but would not discourage the most efficient producers of cereals farming land well suited to that purpose—many of whom are to be found in the United Kingdom.