HC Deb 15 May 1991 vol 191 cc199-200W
26. Mr. Menzies Campbell

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to encourage farming in north-east Fife.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

Farmers in north-east Fife stand to benefit from various national schemes which support agriculture; apart from support through the intervention system, over £100 million a year is now spent in Scotland through livestock subsidies. Other schemes aim to assist farmers adjust their business in the face of prospective changes in agricultural support and of increasing interest in the countryside: for example the set-aside and farm woodland schemes, and schemes for farm diversification and conservation. In particular, I welcome the north-west Fife rural initiative, which receives public support through Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Agricultural College and the local authorities.