HC Deb 03 May 1967 vol 746 cc64-5W
Mr. Elystan Morgan

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an assurance that in the administration of production and improvement grants and subsidies under the Agriculture Bill there will be no discrimination against small farmers.

Mr. Peart

I am naturally anxious that small farmers should benefit as much as possible from the Agriculture Bill and they will benefit in the same way as other farmers from the subsidies on beef cows, calves, hill sheep and hill cows; and the grants for encouraging co-operation. They will be eligible for larger loans than the bigger farmer for purchasing land for amalgamations. We are of course setting as the target for grant-aided amalgamations a farm big enough to keep the farmer and the equivalent of one other man employed full-time. But where it is too difficult to reach this size in one step we will be prepared to approve the formation of one-man farms.

Similarly one-man farms will be able to benefit under the Farm Improvement, Hill Land Improvement and Farm Business Recording Schemes. And the investment grants will be available to all full-time farm and horticultural businesses.