§ Mr. Colin Shepherdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is proposing to take to draw the attention of the fanning community and local authorities to the need to reduce problems arising from straw and stubble burning to a minimum during the current year's cereals' harvest; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JoplingI am very conscious of the widespread concern that was expressed in many quarters about the effects of straw burning last year. The Government have acted to strengthen the controls that operate in this area. I announced on 20 March the issue by the Home Office of revised and strengthened model byelaws which had been prepared in consultation with my Department. It is for local authorities in the areas concerned to adopt the revised model byelaws. Uptake has been encouraging, and now covers most of the main cereal growing areas. My Department has also co-operated with the National Farmers Union in the revision of its straw and stubble burning code to accord with the new byelaws, and has arranged for copies of the code to be sent to all cereal growers.
In addition to controls over the burning of straw and stubble, attention has been given to alternative uses and means of disposing of surplus straw. A revised version of an ADAS advisory booklet "Straw Use and Disposal" has been published. A group of industrialists, research workers and farmers, has been meeting the advisory staff of my Department under the chairmanship of my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State to review the scope for development of alternative uses for straw. Their report will be published shortly, and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
783WMy Department will now be mounting an extensive publicity campaign starting at the beginning of August, immediately before the start of the main period for straw burning. It will make use of all the media, including radio and television. I believe that this, together with the publicity which has already been given to the new model byelaws, the NFU code, and the training material recently issued by the Agricultural Training Board should help to reduce problems to a minimum, provided farmers strictly observe the new code and the byelaws where these have been introduced by local authorities.