§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans she has for supporting short-term coppice schemes for alternative fuels; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackShort-rotation coppice has the potential to become an important alternative crop as a source of renewable energy. The Government are supporting it already. Short-rotation coppice is eligible for establishment grants of between £975 and £1,575 per hectare under the woodland grant scheme and for the better land supplement of £600 per hectare except when grown on land under the arable area payments scheme.
We have, however, secured agreement in Brussels that short-rotation coppice can be grown on non-rotational set-aside land, where it will be eligible for annual set-aside payments of around £320 per hectare in England from 1994. We are pressing for changes to facilitate its establishment on set-aside land. Electricity generated from short-rotation coppice will be able to benefit from the provisions of the third Non-Fossil Fuel Obligation Renewables Order, announced by my hon. Friend the 513W Minister for Energy on 21 July 1993, and the Government are funding work on the growing of short-rotation coppice and its conversion to energy.