HC Deb 15 February 1993 vol 219 cc88-9W
Mr. Tyler

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was(a) the acreage and (b) the percentage of farmland in set-aside in each EC country at 1 January; and what are the estimated equivalent figures for 1 January 1994.

Mr. Curry

The latest available information on land set-aside under the five-year set-aside scheme in each EC country is set out in table I. Information on the area of land set aside this year under the new arable area payments scheme will not be available until growers have to declare the area later this year. Table II contains estimates of the area which might be set aside under the new scheme, derived from budgetary estimates of expenditure on the CAP reform package prepared by the Commission last year. There is no reason to expect that the area set aside in 1994 will be significantly different from that in 1993.

Five-year set-aside scheme
Country Total arable area (thousand ha) Five year SA area (ha)3 Five year SA area (acres)3 Five year SA area as per cent. of national arable area
Belgium 326 880 2,170 0.3
Denmark 1,909 12,810 31,650 0.7
France 11,859 235,490 581,670 2.0
Germany1 8,218 374,370 924,700 4.6
Greece 1,523 710 1,760 —
Ireland 359 3,450 8,530 1.0
Italy 5,429 721,850 1,782,960 13.3
Luxembourg 33 90 220 0.3
Netherlands 226 15,370 37,970 6.8
Portugal2 833 — — —
Spain 8,978 103,170 254,830 1.1
United Kingdom 4,396 155,120 383,150 3.5
Total 44,087 1,623,310 4,007,440 3.7
1 Excludes former GDR.
2 Portugal was exempt from the requirement to introduce a five year scheme.
3 The figures for the five year scheme do not take account of withdrawals either after three years or in order to enter the new arable regime.

New arable support system
Total estimated SA area
Country Total arable area (thousand ha) (thousand ha) (thousand acres) As a percentage of arable area
Belgium 326 27 67 8
Denmark 1,909 226 558 12
France 11,859 1,463 3,614 12
Germany1 8,218 915 2,260 11
Greece 1,523 27 67 2
Ireland 359 33 82 9
Italy 5,429 236 583 4
Luxembourg 33 1 2 3
Netherlands 226 22 54 10
Portugal 833 34 84 4
Spain 8,978 764 1,887 9
United Kingdom 4,396 634 1,566 14
Total 44,087 4,381 10,821 10
1 Includes former German Democratic Republic.

Note: Minor discrepancies are due to rounding.

Source (both tables): Commission statistics.

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