§ Mr. SwinneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what acreage of(a) Scotland and (b) Perthshire is included in set-aside schemes; what is the current cost to public funds of set-aside schemes in (a) and (b); and what percentage of land under farming in Scotland is included in set-aside. [21638]
§ Mr. MacdonaldThe area of set-aside claimed in Scotland under the 1997 Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) is 41,049 hectares and represents 4.19 per cent. of the arable land shown in the June 1997 Agriculture Census. Scottish farmers will receive an estimated £11 million in set-aside aid in respect of this claimed area. The AAPS is not administered on a county basis and information is not held in this way.