§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish a report on the Environmentally Sensitive Areas.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Trumpington)The first report on the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme is being published today by HMSO, meeting our obligation under Section 18(8) of the Agriculture Act 1986.
The Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme has been warmly welcomed by conservation bodies and farmers alike. Since going to press we have received further applications from over 300 farmers wishing to bring over 9,000 hectares (22,230 acres) of their land into the scheme this year. Overall this gives us a total of 2,708 applications and agreements covering 110,495 hectares (273,000 acres) of land in England alone since the scheme was introduced in 1987. This represents over 90 per cent. of the land which we considered likely to enter the scheme and shows overwhelmingly the farming industry's commitment to environmentally conscious farming. It points to real progress in conserving some of our most beautiful countryside.
300WAMy colleagues the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland have made similar announcements. The report sets out how the scheme operates in each of the designated areas and how we intend to assess its impact. I hope it will add to a wider understanding of Environmentally Sensitive Areas and what they are designed to achieve. Copies of this report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and will be available from HMSO bookshops.