Mr. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many agricultural holdings in areas designated as (a) marginal and (b) hill areas engaged in sheep rearing; and what proportion of the total number of holdings in such areas in Wales these numbers represent.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerThe number of holdings in June 1986 with breeding ewes in areas classified as "severely disadvantaged" (which is closely synonymous with the hill and upland areas) was 10,390 or 74.4 per cent. of all holdings in those areas. The number of holdings in June 1986 with breeding ewes in areas classified as disadvantaged (which is closely synonymous with marginal land) was 3,111 or 54.6 per cent. of all holdings in disadvantaged areas.