§ Mr. AingerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the budget for 1993–94 and the estimate for 1994–95, the number of acres covered and the number of farms that could be included in(a) the Somerset Levels environmentally sensitive area and (b) the Broads environmentally sensitive area.
§ Mr. CurryThe budget for the ESA scheme is £30.2 million in 1993–94 rising to £42.6 million in 1994–95. The scheme is managed as a whole and we do not allocate individual budgets to ESAs. The total area of the Somerset levels and moors ESA is 27,717 hectares, 68,488 acres, and the total area of the Broads ESA is 35,820 hectares, 88,510 acres. It is not possible to determine accurately the number of farmers in each area because the ESA boundaries do not coincide with parish boundaries in respect of which such data might be obtained from the agricultural census.
§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those environmentally sensitive areas where payments are being made to manage water levels; and if he will list the total payments made under such schemes to date.
§ Mr. CurryA requirement to manage water levels is included in all ESAs where field wetness is critical to the ecological interest of river valley grassland. In the Somerset levels and moors, Broads, North Kent marshes, Suffolk river valley and Avon valley ESAs there is a specific payment to encourage farmers to raise water levels in order to enhance the habitat for birds. This is the first year in which such conditions are being met in the Somerset levels and moors and Broads ESAs. It involves maintaining the water table at field level to create surface464W pools between 1 January and 30 April. Full payment will not be made until we are satisfied that the conditions can be maintained on the affected land.