§ Mr. Ensorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied with the workings of the present Winter Keep Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PeartAs my hon. Friend will be aware, I recently commissioned an urgent study of the present pattern of hill subsidies to see whether they could be rationalised or modified in any way.
In the particular case of the Winter Keep Scheme I am concerned that assistance should be related more closely 229W to need: to this end I propose that, next year the present acreage grants in England, Wales and Northern Ireland should give way to a system of headage payments. These will take the form of Supplements to the existing Hill Cow and Hill Sheep Subsidies.
Under the present system many hill farmers eligible for either or both of the hill stock subsidies were for one reason or another unable to take advantage of the Winter Keep grant. The change I propose will overcome this difficulty and enable about an additional 10,000 hill farmers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to share in the benefit. The rate of the Supplements will be determined at the coming Annual Review when the necessary Orders will be laid before the House. Meantime I think it right to announce the principle straight away so that hill farmers concerned will feel free to plan next year's cropping and stocking without reference to the conditions applying to the present system of acreage payments.
This proposal is based upon consultation with the Hill Farming Advisory Committee, the National Farmers' Union, and County Agricultural Executive Committees in hill areas, and I am glad to say that the change commands general consent. In particular, my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Wales are satisfied that the new arrangements will operate to the advantage of hill farming in both Northern Ireland and Wales.
As regards Scotland, as the House will know the Scottish Winter Keep Scheme is already on a different footing and is based upon a system of land grading and differential rates of grant. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is in consultation with the Scottish N.F.U. on whether any change should be made in the Scottish Scheme.