§ Mr. AingerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the average yield used for the purpose of arable area payments for farmers for harvest year 1993–94; and how it was calculated.
§ Mr. JackAs required by EC Council regulation 1765/92 the average yield figures for England are calculated on the basis of the historical average cereal and oilseed yields from 1986–87 to 1990–91, excluding the highest and lowest years during that period. The cereal yields determine the cereals, protein and set-aside payments, and the threshold for the simplified scheme. The oilseed yields determine the oilseed payment rate. The average yield figure for cereals used to calculate arable area payments in England is 5.93 tonnes per hectare, and the average yield figure for oilseeds is 3.08 tonnes per hectare.
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