§ Mr. Charles KennedyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the eligibility criteria for land managers who wish to enter the Countryside Stewardship Scheme; what financial limits are applied(a) annually and (b) over five years to applications for the scheme; and what is the total budget available over each of the next four years. [2687]
Dr. John CunninghamThe Countryside Stewardship Scheme is available throughout England, other than in Environmentally Sensitive Areas, to anyone who owns or manages land, including farmers and non-farming land managers, voluntary bodies, local authorities and community groups.
The annual financial limit for new agreements is £5 million. An additional provision of £0.5 million will be available for approvals in 1998 under a pilot scheme for arable land to be introduced as part of Countryside Stewardship.
The total budget for payments to farmers is £16.7 million for 199–98, £22.1 million for 1998–99, and £26.7 million for each of the years 1999–2000 and 2000–2001.