Common Agricultural Policy (Hansard, 19 October 1992)

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the current sum paid per British family to support the common agricultural policy.
92W

§ Mr. Curry
Estimates of the current cost of the CAP to United Kingdom households are extremely difficult and depend critically on the assumptions used. For instance, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has estimated that the transfers from consumers and taxpayers resulting from agricultural policies in the European Community—separate figures for the United Kingdom are not available—were equivalent to some £18 per week for a family of four in 1991. However, as the OECD makes clear, this estimate does not take into account the impact on world prices, and on other variables, if farm support were to be removed. It is likely, therefore, to overstate to a significant degree the true cost to United Kingdom consumers and taxpayers.

§ Mr. Tyler
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will attach environmental conditions to the area payments that compensate farmers for the cuts in arable support under the CAP reforms.

§ Mr. Curry
We believe that direct payments to farmers under the CAP should be subject to appropriate environmental conditions. All farmers claiming area payments on over 15 hectares in England will have to set land aside. The land set aside will be subject to management conditions intended to help protect the environment.
The Community legislation establishing the new arable regime does not provide a legal basis under which such conditions could be applied to other arable land.

§ Mr. Tyler
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what environmental conditions he intends to apply to land set aside under the CAP reforms; and if those conditions apply to all arable land in the rotation.

§ Mr. Curry
Rules for the management of set-aside land are set out in the explanatory booklet on the arable area payments scheme, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. These include measures specifically intended to help protect the environment.
The Community legislation establishing the new arable regime does not provide a legal basis under which these conditions could be applied to other arable land.

§ Mr. Tyler
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what increase in expenditure implementation of the multi-annual zonal schemes in the agri-environment package of the CAP's accompanying measures will require over and above existing expenditure plans on support for agriculture in special areas, capital grants and alternative land uses as published in the Government's expenditure plans 1992–93 to 1994–95.

§ Mr. Curry
No decisions on implementation of the agri-environment regulation have yet been taken. We have until July 1993 to draw up our implementation plans and will consult widely in doing so.

§ Mr. Worthington
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the cost of the CAP to the United Kingdom in 1992–93.

§ Mr. Curry
Details of public expenditure in the United Kingdom under the Common Agricultural Policy in 1992–93 will be contained in "Agriculture in the UK—1992", which is currently being compiled and is expected to be published in March 1993. Copies will be made available to the House.
93W
The forecast expenditure in the United Kingdom in 1991–92 (the last year for which figures are readily available) is contained in section 9 of "Agriculture in the UK—1991". Actual outturn information for 1991–92 is presently being gathered and will be published in "Agriculture in the UK—1992". In addition, however, the United Kingdom supports CAP spending elsewhere in the Community through our net contribution to the EC budget. This is not allocated to particular elements of the budget, such as agriculture.