§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to offer financial incentives to livestock farmers in less-favoured areas to fence-off certain areas of land in order to promote heather regeneration.
§ Mr. CurryIt is already our policy to promote heather regeneration within the less favoured areas: 50 per cent. grants are available under the farm and conservation grant scheme to meet the cost of fencing off moor and heathland to exclude stock and for ancillary operations to encourage heather regeneration in the fenced off areas. Our environmentally sensitive areas (ESA) scheme also encourages appropriate heather management, including in some cases the use of temporary fencing to exclude stock. Heather regeneration will be further promoted with the extension of our ESAs and the development of a new scheme to reduce livestock numbers where this will be environmentally beneficial.