§ Mr. MaclennanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what payments he has proposed under the Organic Aid Scheme for(a) Arable Area Payments Scheme eligible land, (b) ineligible land and (c) unimproved grassland or rough grazing. [72620]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 24 February 1999]The proposed rates of aid under the Organic Farming Scheme in England are as follows:
£/ha Type of land Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total Eligible for AAPS or under permanent crops 225 135 50 20 20 450 Improved land not eligible for AAPS 175 105 40 15 15 350 Unimproved land 25 10 5 5 5 50
§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what(a) financial and (b) other support he is currently giving to organic farming. [72960]
497W
§ Mr. MorleySupport for organic farming is delivered in the following ways
under the Organic Aid Scheme, payments are made to farmers who convert to organic farming methods. Payments in England for this financial year total £776,567 to end December 1998. The amount paid in 1997–98 was £570,614. Subject to the approval of Parliament, a new scheme, the Organic Farming Scheme, will be introduced in Spring in which the rates of aid for most types of land will be almost doubled. Payments in England are estimated to increase to a total of £9 million by year 2000;there is a dedicated research and development programme. Expenditure for the current financial year is estimated at £1.5 million and expected to increase to £2 million in 1999–2000;MAFF funds the Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS) which operates a "Helpline" providing advice to potential organic farmers and offers free on-farm advisory visits.