§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his proposed pilot study on farm waste management plans.
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§ Mr. GummerMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I have decided that a pilot study should be undertaken to see if pollution could be cut by farmers drawing up tailor-made plans for disposing of manure, slurry and other organic wastes on their holdings. These plans will advise when, where and in what quantities farmers should spread wastes in order to avoid water pollution and get the most benefit from the nutrients in them. The areas we have chosen for the study comprise parts of the following river catchments: the River Weaver in Cheshire; the River Frome in Somerset; the River Clyst in Devon; and the Afon Ceri in Wales.
The catchments were chosen, following consultation with the National Rivers Authority, to represent typical dairy farming areas.
The National Farmers Union, the Country Landowners Association and the Farmers Union of Wales have indicated their full support for this pilot study and their wish that as many farmers as possible will agree to participate in it.
Agricultural Development Advisory Service project officers nominated for each catchment will be contacting some 100 or so farmers in each of the areas concerned to ask them to take part in the pilot study. They will be available to help farmers involved in the study.
We very much hope that this study will be a great success and that it will prove of direct benefit to those farmers in the selected areas who will end up with a free farm waste plan to consultancy standard. It will benefit both farmers and the community generally by providing an assessment of the possible future value of farm waste plans. This development underlines our commitment to protecting the environment.