§ David DavisTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the average cost to(a) pig farmers and (b) dairy farmers of muck storage in the last 12 months. [51816]
§ Mr. MeacherData from the recently published 2001 Farm Practices Survey indicates that 50 to 80 per cent of slurry stores were built before 1991. Generally, farmyard manure is usually stored in the field or on a concrete base. Therefore in most cases the annual cost of storage consists only of repair and maintenance costs that are likely to be a few hundred pounds. Further estimates could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost.