§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which European laws set out the dimensions of field margins of cultivation adjacent to hedges. [103132]
§ Ms QuinThe European Community legislation which is relevant to this issue is that governing the farm-based arable and livestock aid schemes introduced as part of the 1992 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Under the rules of Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS), farmers in the United Kingdom are allowed to use the full field areas which are shown on Ordnance Survey maps as the basis of their claims, provided that their fields are fully utilised. If this condition is not fulfilled, then only that part of the total area which is actually cropped can be claimed. The use of total field areas is of considerable benefit to our farmers but it can only be justified if the extent of uncropped areas around field margins, including the area occupied by any hedges which may be present, is kept within reasonable limits. AAPS applicants have recently been notified about new guidance from the European Commission about the maximum width of field margins that is consistent with the use of full Ordnance Survey areas in aid applications. They have also been urged to seek advice about minimising the environmental impact of any action they may need to take in order to comply with the new guidance.