§ Mr. AmosTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to ensure that all grants given to farmers by his Department for environmental protection and improvement do not give an unfair financial advantage to farmers in the lowlands as against farmers in upland and hill areas; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryThe current grant scheme, the farm and conservation grant scheme, makes generous provision for the aiding of investments benefiting the environment. For most grants, farmers in the hills and uplands receive rates which are 10 percentage points higher than in the lowlands. The only exceptions are grants for investments in farm waste control which attract uniform rates of 50 per cent., reflecting the priority that we attach to combating farm pollution in the lowlands, and grants for the repair or renovation of traditional farm buildings. For these the grant rate is 35 per cent. and takes account of the generally higher cost of repairs in the lowlands.
In no case do grants outside the less favoured areas exceed those within.