HL Deb 09 February 1983 vol 438 cc1319-20WA
Lord Hawke

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in light of their search for economy, they

  1. (i) consider all subsidies available to farmers to be necessary,
  2. (ii) confirm that a farmer may grow EEC-subsidised surplus grain on land which was bad woodland, having received Government 1320 subsidies for uprooting, reploughing and fertilising the land and, if so,
  3. (iii) will state what the comparison is between subsidies available under (ii) and subsidies available for the replacing of the bad woodland with good timber-producing woodland.

Earl Ferrers

: Her Majesty's Government consider that support for farming, both through the common agricultural policy and nationally, remains important to the economy as a whole and is a valid use of resources.

Farm capital grants are available for the clearance and reclamation, though not the felling, of woodland for agricultural use but only when all the necessary consents have been obtained from the Forestry Commission and any other relevant authority. No restrictions are imposed on the type of farming to be practised on such land.

The grants available for clearance and reclamation range from 22.5 per cent, to 50 per cent, of eligible expenditure, depending upon which scheme is applicable and the geographical location. Planting grants under the Forestry Grant Scheme are paid at rates ranging from £230 to £850 per hectare according to species and size of wood.