§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether his Department accepts the conclusions of the Natural Environment Research Council report, "Interactions between Grey Seals and United Nations Fisheries", published in 1984; what
40WThese new initiatives are expected to cost about £25 million a year when they are fully operational. This comprises an estimated £10 million on farm woodlands, £3 million on traditional forestry, £7 million on ESAs— doubling the existing provision— and £5 million on diversification and marketing. The alternative use of land will lead to compensating savings in CAP expenditure. This does not imply any change in the overall public expenditure totals.
In addition, I and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland, plan to publish next month a document setting out how the Government see the changes affecting farmers, emphasising that it is for individual farmers to decide how to run their own businesses, but describing how the Government's policies towards farming are being adjusted to reflect the changing scene and potential in the rural economy as a whole. The Government's overall objective is to facilitate the conditions which encourage a healthy rural economy based on enterprise, adaptability and fair competition.