Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are their most recent figures for yield factor per hectare for(a) wheat production in Northern Ireland and (b) barley production in Northern Ireland; how many hectares were used for the growing of (i) wheat and (ii) barley; and when representations were last made to the European Commission to have Northern Ireland included with England and Wales as the yield region for cereal aid purposes.
§ Mr. Ancram[holding answer sent 19 May 1994]: The average yield in Northern Ireland in 1993 of wheat was 583W 5.85 tonnes per hectare and of barley was 3.75 tonnes per hectare. The June 1993 agricultural census in Northern Ireland recorded 6,701 hectares of wheat and 38,554 hectares of barley.
Representations have never been made to the European Commission to have Northern Ireland included with England and Wales as a yield region for cereal aid purposes—that is an internal matter for the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, all efforts have been made by Government to convince the European Commission of the needs of Northern Ireland's specialist growers.