§ 20. Mr. Whiteheadasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the policy of his Department towards the policy of grubbing up hedges on agricultural land.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice 168W information is available, the food index rose by 1.5 per cent.
§ 23. Mr. Leadbitterasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food taking the price of food at 100 in the month of May 1970, what is the figure now and, separately, what are the figures for fresh food.
§ Mrs. FennerTaking May 1970 as 100, the level of the Food Index at 17th April 1973, the latest date for which information is available, was 134.7. There is no retail price index for fresh foods as such, but taking May 1970 as 100, the level of the main sub-groups of the food index at 17th April 1973 was as follows:
Food items, the prices of which show significant seasonal variation 146.1 Food items, other than those the prices of which show significant seasonal variation 132.6 Food items mainly manufactured in the United Kingdom 121.3 Food items mainly home-produced for direct consumption 146.3 Food items mainly imported for consumption 142.3
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the price of fish meal, soya, maize and barley per ton at the latest available date and the prices of these foodstuffs six months and one year ago.
§ Mrs. FennerThe prices of these materials were:
was offered by his officers on the subject of the removal of hedgerows to farmers and others with interests in agriculture.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartWe encourage farmers to retain hedges unless they are a real handicap to efficient farming, and we stress the importance of striking a 169W proper balance between the needs of the environment and those of agriculture.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies of hedgerows have been made by his officers; and what conclusions have been arrived at on the subject of hedges as a shield against soil erosion.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartIn England and Wales soil erosion is largely confined to dry periods in the spring when soil blowing may occur in parts of East Anglia. Studies have been made by my Department's officers at the Arthur Rick-wood Experimental Husbandry Farm and elsewhere. The conclusion from these and other studies is that well-grown hedges may reduce the incidence of soil erosion for distances of up to about 15 times their height, but the typical farm hedge rarely provides sufficient insurance against erosion in the most vulnerable fen-lands, and it normally needs to be supplemented by other cultural measures.
I am sending the hon. Member a copy of a report on hedges, prepared for my Department and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland by Dr. J. M. Caborn of Edinburgh University, which deals more fully with the effects of hedges and hedge removal.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of miles of hedgerow uprooted in each of the last three years according to the best information available to his Department.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartNo complete records are available, as hedges are often removed by highway authorities, farmers and others without reference to my Department; but the indications are that the rate of hedge removal has declined in the last three years.