§ Mr. Charles KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the likely impact of new regulations and attendant financial penalties in respect of the sheep annual premium scheme and hill livestock compensatory allowances on(a) future percentage lambing yields and (b) future stock improvement progress; and if he will make a statement. [51442]
§ Mr. Macdonald[holding answer 21 July 1998]: The legislation governing Sheep Annual Premium and Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances is longstanding. Enforcement of that legislation should not impact on general flock health or lambing percentages.
Following recent representations by the Government, the European Commission has accepted our proposals aimed at reducing the frequency with which sheep on common grazings need to be gathered for the purpose of subsidy inspection.