§ Dr. Michael ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the take up of the set-aside proposals; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorOver 1,800 farmers in the United Kingdom are setting aside nearly 58,000 hectares (143,000 acres) of arable land in the current crop year. I shall shortly be publishing full details of the analysis of this years response.
§ Mr. MartlewTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms have taken the option of the set-aside scheme for agricultural land; and what effect this has had on the number of employees working on those farms.
§ Mr. RyderOver 1,800 farmers in the United Kingdom are setting aside arable land in the current crop year. It is too early to assess the impact on agricultural employment.
§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farms have taken the option of the set-aside scheme for agricultural land in(a) Suffolk and (b) Norfolk; and what is the total acreage involved.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe information is as follows:
Number of farms Acreage of set-aside land Suffolk 83 4,723 Norfolk 65 4,355