§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will reintroduce grant aid for the application of lime to agricultural land to encourage agricultural output and reduce acid rain leaching.
§ Mr. CurryGrant is payable under an improvement plan in the farm and conservation grant scheme for the application of lime as part of a programme of grassland improvement and, in the less favoured areas only, when 65W lime is applied as a separate operation without reseeding or other chemical treatment of the grass. Grant is not payable on work to convert heath or moorland to grass. I do not intend to extend these grants to subsidise the application of lime to arable land which would risk encouraging the further output of crops already in surplus.
ESA Payments to Farmers 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 11992 Pennine Dales 813,100 916,500 953,300 961,600 998,800 1,555,000 Broads 937,825 1,720,000 1,784,050 1,813,825 1,821,300 2,406,000 Somerset Levels and Moors 679,562 778,986 826,112 843,030 889,734 1,815,000 South Downs 180,640 374,795 580,290 634,745 747,620 1,280,000 West Penwith 333,120 345,360 348,960 351,840 354,780 360,000 Breckland 387,950 453,275 485,250 496,325 540,000 Suffolk River Valleys 740,850 902,120 990,360 1,058,890 1,100,000 Shropshire Borders 534,660 584,450 608,240 627,540 638,000 North Peak 673,080 728,890 730,780 734,810 735,000 Test Valley 21,840 25,520 28,080 31,120 32,000 Totals 2,944,247 6,494,021 7,186,967 7,447,750 7,760,919 10,461,000 1 Provisional.