§ Mr. BellinghamTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the final uptake for the pilot nitrate-sensitive areas scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerI am pleased to announce that, by the closing date of 31 May 1991, applications to join the pilot nitrate-sensitive areas scheme had been received for 87 per cent. of the agricultural land in the NSAs. Eighty per cent. of farmers in the NSAs have applied to join. Details for each NSA are given in the table.
This excellent level of uptake for the pilot nitrate-sensitive areas scheme shows that farmers acknowledge the problem of nitrate leaching into our water sources and, by joining the scheme, that they want to do something about it. Once more Britain leads Europe in environmental policies.
We now have the means to reduce nitrate leaching in the areas concerned. We will also increase our understanding of the nitrate problem through our intensive monitoring of the effectiveness of different measures. This will be important prior to the introduction of wider measures in due course as a result of the implementation of the EC nitrate directive agreed on 13–14 June in Luxembourg.
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NSA applications: 1 June 1990 to 31 May 1991 Area Estimated total agricultural land (Ha) In basic scheme In premium scheme Farmers Ha As percentage of land Ha As percentage of land In NSA Applied for basic As percentage of number in NSA Ogbourne St. George 984 712 72.4 107 10.8 10 8 80.0 Kilham 756 286 37.9 0 0.0 15 10 66.6 Egford 427 220 51.5 42 9.8 13 6 46.2 Old Chalford 621 578 93.1 165 26.6 12 10 83.3 Wellings 523 323 61.8 9 1.7 24 14 58.3 Tom Hill 570 469 82.3 19 3.3 25 17 68.0 Wildmoor 723 685 94.7 14 1.9 38 33 86.8 Boughton 1,652 1,627 98.5 16 1.0 21 20 95.2 Sleaford 2,876 2,876 100.0 944 32.8 23 23 100.0 Branston Booths 1,592 1,586 99.6 209 13.1 22 21 95.5 Total all NSAs 10,724 9,362 87.3 1,525 14.2 203 162 79.8