§ Mr. BarkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the change in the external costs of agriculture which would be achieved if 30 per cent. of all agricultural land in the UK was converted to organic. [46625]
§ Mr. MorleyIt is not possible to make reliable estimates of the reduction in the external costs of agriculture arising from organic farming, however, the Department has commissioned the University of Cambridge to carry out an evaluation of the "Organic Farming Scheme" which will provide information on the environmental impacts of the scheme. We expect this to be completed in April 2002 and it will be published on tile Department's website.
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§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what powers the proposed new advisory body on organic standards will have; [48056]
(2) What plans she has to disband the UK register of organic standards; what it will be replaced by; with whom she has held discussions on her proposals; and what representations she has received from the Food Standards Agency on the UK register of organic standards; [48054]
(3) What powers the proposed new UK accreditation service will have in respect of organic standards; [48057]
(4) What representations she has received front organic producers on her proposals to disband the UK register of organic standards. [48055]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 10 April 2002]: The consultation period on the Quinquennial Review of the UK Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS) ended on 31 March. A summary of responses will be available shortly and will be placed on the Department's website www.defra.gov.uk. The Government has made no proposals on whether the Review's conclusions should be accepted, and no decisions have been taken.