HL Deb 28 April 1981 vol 419 cc1167-8WA
Lord Stanley of Alderley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When, following the Ministry of Agriculture's survey of possible additional areas to be included within the EEC Less Favoured Areas Directive, a case for these additional areas is likely to be presented to the European Commission; and

Whether it is anticipated that the new areas in England and Wales to be submitted to the European Commission for inclusion in the EEC Less Favoured Areas Directive will be much reduced from that area surveyed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Welsh Office Agriculture Department in their present survey of agricultural marginal lands because they do not meet the other criteria for eligibility to the EEC Less Favoured Areas Directive as laid down by the European Commission; and

Whether they agree that the economics of livestock production in the agricultural marginal lands in England and Wales warrants special financial assistance; and

Whether they agree that financial support for agriculture in any areas which may be added in the future to the Less Favoured Areas Directive should be additional to existing aid for those areas presently covered by that directive; and

Whether the Ministry of Agriculture and Welsh Office Agriculture Department in their survey of agricultural marginal land areas in England and Wales are surveying all of those counties which presently contain areas designated under the EEC Less Favoured Areas; and

Whether the Ministry of Agriculture, in their survey of agricultural marginal land areas in England, have surveyed or intend to survey all land classified as Grade 4 and Grade 5 on the Agricultural Land Classification Map which lies outside the areas designated under the EEC Less Favoured Areas Directive in those counties which presently contain areas designated under that directive; and

If the Ministry of Agriculture in their survey of agricultural marginal land have surveyed or intend to survey land classified as Grade 4 and 5 on the Agricultural Land Classification Map in the Isles of Scilly in the county of Cornwall.

Earl Ferrers

It was because of difficulties facing livestock farmers on marginal land that the Government decided to carry out a survey to determine whether there was a case for extending the present areas designated as less favoured under Article 3(4) of European Communities Directive 75/268. However, the Government have never given any undertaking either that the present Less Favoured Areas will be extended or, if they are, that extra public funds will be available.

The survey will comprise identification of the poor land followed by extraction and analysis of economic and demographic information in order to determine whether the identified land satisfies all the criteria for designation. It will include all land contiguous to the existing Less Favoured Areas, and any substantial separate areas nearby, in the old hill counties. It will cover Grade 4 and 5 land on the Agricultural Land Classification maps, and may include some small adjoining areas of Grade 3 land as well. A case for the extension of the present Less Favoured Areas could be ready for submission to the European Commission before the end of 1981, but whether consideration of the case by the Commission would result in some land being excluded cannot be anticipated. Because the survey is confined to areas which appear likely to meet the criteria set by Article 3(4) of European Communities Directive 75/268, the Isles of Scilly are excluded. However, discussions are taking place with the National Farmers' Union about the possibility of designating the Isles of Scilly as less favoured under Article 3(5) of the directive.