§ Sir Peter EmeryTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what programmes his Department has introduced to promote good environmental management by farmers; and how many similar programmes were in existence in 1979. [37634]
§ Mr. Boswell[holding answer 18 July 1996]: The Department has numerous programmes in place to promote good environmental management.
These include: free one-to-one advice and publications on pollution and conservation; voluntary incentive schemes to promote environmentally friendly farming and public enjoyment of the countryside; measures to supplement statutory controls on pesticides, including an advisory pesticides forum on responsible pesticide use and a pesticides minimisation initiative; and capital grants for certain works to benefit the environment.
The Department also has an extensive research and development programme to underpin these programmes.
Further details are given in chapters 2, 3 and 7 of MAFF's 1996 departmental report, which is available in the Library of the House.
The Department has greatly expanded its environmental programmes since 1979, in particular through the introduction of voluntary incentive schemes which date from the mid-1980. Voluntary schemes to ensure the safety and efficacy of pesticides were replaced by statutory arrangements in the mid-1980s.