HC Deb 09 November 1989 vol 159 c739W
Mr. Home Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hectares of oilseed rape were harvested in 1989; what tonnage was produced; what was the value of the crop; and what subsidy was paid from public funds for its production or processing.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

Latest estimates show that in 1989 some 36,000 hectares of oilseed rape were harvested in Scotland producing some 122,600 tonnes. The value of the 1989 crop in the United Kingdom as a whole is still being assessed. An estimate of the value will be included in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom" due to be published early in 1990. Production aid for oilseed rape under the EC oilseeds scheme is being paid on the 1989 crop; final estimates of the total amount will not be known until at least the end of the 1989–90 marketing year.

Mr. Home Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the presence of pollen and other airborne material derived from flowering crops of oilseed rape giving the concentration in the atmosphere above the crop and the maximum extent of detectable contamination; and if he will give comparable information for other agricultural crops.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

I have no information on concentrations of airborne material from oilseed rape in the atmosphere above the crop nor comparable information on other crops. I am aware that some experiments have been carried out by individuals to detect the presence of oilseed rape pollen in the atmosphere in the vicinity of crops.