§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the age profile of(a) livestock and (b) hill farmers. [52116]
§ Mr. RookerThe age profiles of holders of livestock holdings and holdings in Less Favoured Areas (LFA) for England and Wales in 1995 are given in the table.
Age Livestock1 holdings % of holders2 LFA3 holdings % of holders 25 years4 0.33 0.34 25–29 years 1.28 1.47 30–34 years 4.01 4.41 35–39 years 7.18 7.14 40–44 years 9.53 9.96 45–49 years 12.64 12.15 50–54 years 14.44 14.59 55–59 years 13.55 13.77 60–65 years 13.61 13.96 65 years and over 23.42 22.22 1Livestock holdings are defined using EC farm types 41 to 44, 50 70 and 72, i.e. Cattle, Sheep, Pigs and Poultry. 2The holder is that person in whose name the holding is operated 3Holdings wholly or mainly in Less Favoured Areas 4Less than Source:
1995 EC Structure Survey
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the future of hill farming in England. [52113]
§ Mr. RookerThe Government are committed to helping to secure a sustainable future for hill farming, recognising in particular the role that farmers play in maintaining the environment and social fabric of the uplands. From 2000 the system of support will be changed more closely to reflect those social and environmental aims. These changes are being considered in the context of the Agenda 2000 Rural Development proposals for the Less Favoured Areas.