§ Mr. Hicksasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate his Department has made of the amount of marginal land in the United Kingdom that satisfies the various criteria 229W to qualify for financial assistance under the terms of the EEC less favoured areas directive, that at present is not included in this scheme.
§ Mr. StrangThere is a large area of poor land outside the less favoured areas in the United Kingdom. However, to qualify for assistance under the less favoured areas directive such land must normally form part of a homogeneous farming area with poor economic results and a low or dwindling population, of which a significant proportion are dependent on agriculture. No estimate exists of the amount of land outside the less favoured areas in the United Kingdom which satisfies these criteria, but the matter is being studied further following discussions with representatives of farmers' and landowners' organisations.