§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to provide additional funding for(a) lowland farming, (b) middle hill farming and (c) steep hill farming. [21495]
§ Mr. RookerAny additional funding would have to be provided within the framework of the rules of the Common Agricultural Policy. We are considering what might be appropriate and affordable in the current circumstances. An announcement will be made shortly.
§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the approximate value of support provided by agricultural support funds of the European Community for(a) cereals and (b) livestock in the latest year for which figures are available. [21688]
§ Mr. RookerSupport in the European Union in 1996 from the Guarantee section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund in respect of cereals was 12.1 billion ecu and for livestock and livestock products was 12.2 billion ecu. In addition these sectors would have benefited from agricultural structural measures (e.g. Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances) part-financed by the Guidance section of the Fund.
§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much was spent from public funds in support of agriculture in(a) 1970–71 and (b) 1971–72 in 1996 prices in (i) pounds and (ii) ecus. [21690]
§ Mr. RookerThe information is as follows:
(a) £million (b) mecus (i)1970–71 2,070 2,490 (i)1971–72 2,380 2,870 Note:
1996 prices calculated using the Retail Prices Index.
Assumed sterling/ecu exchange is average 1996 conversion rate for agricultural expenditure.
Sources:
Annual Review of Agriculture, 1975.
§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much farmers in other EU member states received in agri-monetary aid payments in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of this total has been funded by the UK. [21609]
§ Mr. Rooker[holding answer 18 December 1997]: Nine other Member States have been eligible to pay compensation to their farmers to offset the effects of green rate revaluations since the compensation arrangements were first established in 1995. Since then, payments to farmers have totalled around 720 mecu.
Around 530 mecu of the total so far paid will be reimbursed to Member States from the EU budget, to which the UK—in common with other Member States—(contributes. The UK contributes about 15 per cent. to the total EU budget, although the effect of the Fontainebleau 488W abatement means that in practice the UK contributes only about five per cent. to new expenditure in other Member States.
§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total support for United Kingdom agriculture provided by the funds of the European Community in 1996 in(a) pounds and (b) ecus. [21689]
§ Mr. RookerExpenditure from the Guarantee section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund in the United Kingdom in 1996 was £2.9 billion (3.5 billion ecu) and a further £78 million (94 million ecu) was paid from the Guidance section of the Fund. Expenditure on UK agriculture was about nine per cent. of the EU total.