§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of total agricultural land in environmentally sensitive areas is subject to ESA agreements; and what percentage of ESA target areas is covered by such agreements.
§ Mr. CurryIn the 10 ESAs in England there are 115,960 hectares covered by agreements. This represents 45 per cent. of the potentially eligible agricultural land. The schemes do not target particular areas of eligible land, but as an indicator of the success of uptake, targets were set of 75 per cent. of eligible grassland and 10 per cent. of eligible arable land. The area covered by agreements represents 92 per cent. of these targets.