Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many acres of hill land there are in Northern Ireland.
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§ Mr. Merlyn ReesA sample survey in 1970, subsequently updated, indicated that 959,000 acres are farmed by farmers receiving hill subsidies. This includes land not qualifying for hill subsidies but farmed in conjunction with land which is. It excludes afforested land and nonproductive areas.
Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the average non-arable acreage on Northern Ireland hill farms, including common and shared grazings;
(2) what is the average arable acreage on Northern Ireland hill farms.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesA sample survey in 1970 indicated that the average size of 9,240 farms then receiving hill subsidies was 92 acres including common grazing. Of this, an average of 12 acres consisted of crops or temporary grass.