§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are satisfied with farmers' response to the advice contained in the booklet Ploughing and Rights of Way issued in 1986 by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Countryside Commission.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Trumpington)A copy of the Ploughing Code was sent to all farmers in England and Wales and I hope that they will heed the sound advice given in it. Monitoring of its effectiveness is being carried out by the Countryside Commission and the Ramblers' Association. I believe, however, that the code will need to operate for at least two years before its true effectiveness can be assessed.