§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will state, in tabular form, the amount granted for the grubbing-up of apple orchards in each of the last five years under the apple orchard grubbing-up scheme; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what proportion of the orchards grubbed-up, aided by his Department's apple orchard grubbing-up scheme, were (a) culinary and dessert apples and (b) cider apples; and if he will make a statement;
(3) what assessment of landscape and wildlife is made before the granting of aid under his Department's apple orchard grubbing-up scheme; and if he will make a statement;
(4) what mechanisms are in place to avoid conflicts of interest between his Department's apple orchard grubbing-up scheme and the Countryside Commission funded scheme providing incentives for replanting of traditional orchards in Somerset; and if he will make a statement;
(5) if he will conduct a departmental inquiry into the provision of grant aid for the grubbing-up of apple orchards; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryThe apple orchard grubbing-up grant scheme opened to growers in February 1991. The final date for submission of applications was, 1 December 1992. To the end of September 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, grant of £1.6 million had been paid. All orchards grubbed-up under the scheme were of culinary and dessert apples. Cider apple orchards are not eligible for grant. The EC rules for the scheme do not permit member states to make eligibility for grant conditional upon an assessment of landscape and wildlife but applicants whose orchards are in a site of special scientific interest must consult the Nature Conservancy Council before grubbing-up. Applicants with orchards in nitrate sensitive areas or environmentally sensitive areas are
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North sea: quotas for the United Kingdom Stock Area 1989 1990 1991 1992 Herring IIa,IVa,IVb 75,989 67,150 65,930 61,090 Herring IVc,VIId 2,000 2,050 4,230 3,980 Sprat1 IIa,IV n/a 1,500 1,500 1,500 Cod IIa,IV 55,800 45,857 43,570 43,220 recommended to seek the advice of the NSA or ESA project officer before making an application for grant. It is standard MAFF practice for policies such as this to be evaluated.
There is no conflict between this scheme and the Countryside Commission's scheme which have quite different objectives. The apple orchard grubbing-up scheme is aimed at reducing over production of culinary and dessert apples in the Community. Grant is therefore limited to young, productive, commercial orchards with a 15-year restriction on replanting. The Countryside Commission's scheme is concerned with encouraging the conservation of old, traditional orchards and apple varieties.