§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether all agrimonetary compensation available to United Kingdom agriculture in the year 2000 will be taken up. [HL1748]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman)The Prime Minister announced on 30 March that £66 million in agrimonetary compensation would be paid to beef, sheep and dairy farmers for this year (£22 million for each sector). This is in addition to the £88 million which will be paid to beef, sheep and arable farmers if sterling maintains its current rate against the euro.
The £22 million paid to dairy farmers comprises all the available compensation, both EU- and UK-funded, for the sector. In the case of the beef sector, a total of £54 million is available, 50 per cent EU- and .50 per cent UK-funded. We are taking up almost all the EU contribution. For sheepmeat, a total of £46 million (50 per cent. EU- and 50 per cent. UK-funded) is available; we are again paying almost all the EU contribution.
No other optional UK-funded or EU/UK shared funding is being taken up.