§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the total value to Leicestershire farmers of all CAP payments for(a) the last year for which figures are available and (b) 2000–01. [101061]
§ 1 Ms QuinThe following schedule shows approved payments to Leicestershire farmers for both the 1998 calendar year and the 1998–99 financial year. Farmers in Leicestershire will also have benefited from CAP schemes supporting market prices which do not involve payments made directly to them.
556WRegarding estimates for 2000–01, with so many variables it is not possible to provide estimates with any degree of accuracy at this time.
CAP Payments in Leicestershire £ Scheme Calendar Year 1998 Financial Year 1998–99 Sheep Annual Premium Scheme 2,489,961 2,406,632 Suckler Cow Premium Scheme 2,454,053 2,210,637 Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance — — Beef Special Premium Scheme 4,352,833 4,331,827 Arable Areas Payments Scheme 28,210,375 28,013,534 Environmentally Sensitive Area — — Organic Aid Scheme 11,350 14,158 Farm Woodland Scheme 34,407 34,407 Farm Woodland Premium Scheme 110,469 117,145 Nitrate Sensitive Areas — — Countryside Stewardship Scheme 364,188 402,471 Note:
The figures are based on the addresses to which payments have been made which in the majority of cases will be the address where the relevant farming activities have taken place. However, when a single farm business operates on land in various locations, the payment is made to their main holding rather than, in all cases, the holding where the cropping or livestock maintenance may necessarily have taken place. This means that an element of the payments shown will relate to farming activities in other parts of the UK but the payments will have been made to the main holding address in Leicestershire. Conversely, the figures attached will not include payments for farming activities in Leicestershire in cases where the main holding is located in another part of the UK.
All schemes have individual 'scheme years' and these, invariably, respect neither calendar nor financial year boundaries. The figures quoted give totals of all payments made under the schemes, which will cover a mixture of scheme years. For example, in the case of BSPS, they will be made up from the balance payments for the 1997 scheme year, paid in April 1998 and the Advance payments for the 1998 scheme year, paid in November 1998.