§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his answer of 23 February, Official Report, column 595, concerning the total amount spent on hill farming subsidies, whether he 414W will itemise (a) the other hill farming subsidies and the amount spent or forecast to be spent in the most recent or present accounting period, (b) the number of holdings in each of the three groups listed, the numbers of sheep and cattle in each and the amount of subsidy paid to each, (c) the cost of the subsidy per pound of the meat content of the sheep and (d) the cost of the price support system for sheepmeat in 1983 per pound of meat.
§ Mr. MacGregorAdditional grants are available to farmers situated in the less-favoured areas under the agriculture and horticulture development scheme, the agriculture and horticulture grant scheme and the Northern Ireland agriculture development programme. The additional benefit under these schemes is estimated to be £22.2 million in 1983–84. As I told the hon. Member in my answer of 22 February, at column 539, we estimate that payments of £13 million in sheep annual premium and £12.5 million in suckler cow premium were made to farmers in the less-favoured areas in 1983.
The numbers of holdings and of animals in the three groups listed in my answer of 23 February and the estimated amounts paid in hill livestock compensatory allowances in 1983 are as follows:
Number of Livestock Units 1–50 51–100 Over 100 Number of holdings 36,970 7,481 6,701 Number of sheep (millions) 3.1 2.8 3.2 Number of cattle (millions) 0.55 0.18 0.15 Payments on sheep (£ million) 16.7 15.7 19.1 Payments on cattle (£ million) 24.4 7.8 6.9 The cost of this subsidy per pound of the meat content of these sheep, or of meat produced from them, cannot be calculated. The average rate of variable premium payable under the sheepmeat regime in 1983 was 32.8p per pound.