§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps she is taking to ensure that extensive grazing and late cropping for hay should be part of the non-rotational set-aside regime for environmental reasons.
§ Mr. JackThe EC regulation governing set-aside under the arable area payments scheme prohibits agricultural 123W production, including grazing and hay-cropping, except between 1 September and 14 January when farmers may graze their own animals to take a late harvest of hay for their own use. While both grazing and hay-cropping would be beneficial in environmental terms, allowing them more generally would risk undermining the effectiveness of set-aside, since this would enable mixed farmers to reduce their area of grass without reducing their arable area. My right hon. Friend is not therefore seeking any change in this respect.