§ Mr. TippingTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is(a) the amount of land in hectares, (b) the number of farmers and (c) the cost of the five year set-aside scheme in (i) 1993–94 and (ii) 1994–95; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackPayments to farmers in England under the five-year set-aside scheme for the financial year 1993–94 were some £20.7 million. Those payments relate primarily to land set-aside during the scheme year October 1992 to September 1994 under 3,360 agreements covering some 112,000 hectares. Estimated expenditure for 1994–95 is £14.1 million in respect of 2,130 agreements for the 1993–94 scheme year covering some 72,000 hectares. The reduction is the result of some farmers completing their 389W five-year agreements and others taking advantage of the option to terminate early in order to join the arable area payments scheme.