§ Mr. Ashbyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make it his policy to ensure that tenant farmers are consulted and allowed to participate on an equal basis with owner occupiers in any schemes for farm forestry and cereal set asides; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonInterests representing tenant farmers were consulted on our proposed farm woodland scheme and will be consulted in the coming months on our proposals for implementing the EC extensification scheme, which we hope will allow us to develop some of our ideas for cereals land diversion. The consultation document on the farm woodland scheme set out two172W possible ways in which tenants might participate in the scheme. These and other options will be considered further in the light of the responses to the consultation exercise.