Action Plan for Farming (Hansard, 10 April 2000)

§ Mr. Luff
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reason the Action Plan for Farming, published on 30 March, contains no proposals to assist the development of the specialist cheese sector; and if he will make a statement. [117696]

§ Ms Quin
The Action Plan for Farming is a package of long-term structural measures and short-term financial aid for British farming. It contains proposals aimed at encouraging collaboration and improving marketing performance and competitiveness which may assist the development of the specialist cheese sector.
The Ministry is already supporting the specialist cheese sector through its sponsorship of Food For Britain (FFB) which has day-to-day responsibility for the speciality food industry; its promotion of the EU scheme for protecting food names; and its secondment of an official to the Specialist Cheesemakers Association (SCA), for 12 months, to assist on legislative, regulatory and promotional issues.

§ Mr. Luff
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reason the Action Plan for Farming, published on 30 March contains no proposals to reduce the impact of the climate change levy on horticulture; and if he will make a statement. [117695]

§ Ms Quin
Proposals to reduce the impact of the climate change levy on horticulture were announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget statement on 21 March. This pre-dated the publication of the Action Plan for Agriculture. The measures announced in the Budget include a discount of fifty per cent. on the levy for a period of up to five years (subject to state aid rules) the allocation of a special package of support from the £50 million energy efficiency fund set up under the levy and the extension of the list of energy investments which qualify for enhanced capital allowances to include thermal screens used in glasshouses.
Some horticultural companies should also be able to take advantage of the measure, announced in the Chancellor's pre-Budget statement last November, to exempt from the levy electricity generated from 'new' forms of renewable energy and in 'good quality' combined heat and power plants.