§ Mr. TredinnickTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the costs in real terms of administration for farmers in each of the last four years. [82180]
§ Mr. RookerCosts vary, depending upon the number of schemes participated in. The 1996 efficiency scrutiny on simplifying paperwork estimated that a livestock farmer involved with cattle and sheep and participating in a voluntary conservation scheme, possibly therefore with a heavier paperwork requirement than an average farmer, would spend £2,700 of his time dealing with paperwork. Implementation of scrutiny recommendations, where possible, should now be saving the equivalent of £6.5 million of farmers' time each48W year. Our aim is to keep the paperwork burden to a minimum, consistent with safeguarding public health, funds and the environment.