§ 18. Mrs. Virginia BottomleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the trends in farm incomes in South-West Surrey. [98855]
§ Mr. MorleyWhile we have no specific farm income figures for South-West Surrey, I have little doubt that farmers there have been suffering from the same adverse economic conditions in agriculture as elsewhere in the country.
§ 19. Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when was the last time the green pound was adjusted; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the weak euro on the incomes of farmers. [98856]
§ Mr. Nick BrownThe last time the Green Pound was adjusted was on 11 October 1998.
The present depressed state of farm incomes results from various factors, including the strength of sterling, the collapse of world prices and the loss of some key export markets. It is difficult to single out one factor in isolation and assess its impact when the factors are to an extent interlinked.